Source: United States Senator for Connecticut – Chris Murphy
WASHINGTON—U.S. Senator Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), Chairman of the U.S. Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Homeland Security, on Tuesday held a media availability with U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) to discuss Senate passage of the bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, which includes funding for the Northeast Rail Corridor, Long Island Sound, and the Coast Guard.
“[The bipartisan infrastructure deal is] a big win for Connecticut. We rely on transportation more than any other state in the nation arguably, given our need to get people to and from New York and Boston. And it’s a big win for climate because inside this bill are massive investments in renewable energy, renewable energy transmission, cleaner transportation that will allow us to move forward on our responsibility to attack climate change,” said Murphy.
On the significance of the investment in the Northeast Rail Corridor, Murphy said: “This bill puts, at a minimum, $30 billion into northeast rail, likely significantly more than that. That funding is going to allow us to move forward on some of these really important plans to improve rail experiences in Connecticut.”
On the importance of passing this measure in a bipartisan fashion, Murphy added: “I’m really proud of this process. This bill, in the end got almost 70 votes. Joe Biden said he was going to govern in a way that brought Republicans and Democrats together and a lot of people scoffed at him when he said that. We said that we were going to support the president in his agenda to govern with Democrats and Republicans. Joe Biden has made good on that promise. And I’m glad that we were able to play a part in it.”
Murphy concluded: “Now, we still have work to do. This is the sum total of the of the infrastructure spending that Republicans and Democrats are [going to] agree on. And that’s not going to stop us from moving forward and passing other legislation with Democratic votes, but we could have passed the whole package with just Democratic votes. I think it was a smart idea to say let’s find the common agreement, do that together––and then on the items where Republicans aren’t willing to join––we’ll do that with Democratic support.”
This week, Murphy took to the U.S. Senate floor in support of the Build Back Better budget resolution that is now under consideration. Murphy also met with Commissioner Katie Dykes of the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) to discuss the climate crisis and the bipartisan infrastructure package.
A full transcript of Murphy’s remarks can be found below:
“Moments ago Senator Blumenthal and I voted in favor of the bipartisan infrastructure investment plan, the biggest one-time ever investment in American infrastructure. That’s a big deal.
“It’s a big deal for the country because it allows us to be competitive with developing nations like China that are making massive investments in infrastructure. It’s a big deal for American citizens who have been hamstrung by ailing and aging roads and bridges and rail lines that snarl up their commutes and take time away from loved ones.
“It’s a big win for Connecticut. We rely on transportation more than any other state in the nation arguably, given our need to get people to and from New York and Boston.
“And it’s a big win for climate because inside this bill are massive investments in renewable energy, renewable energy transmission, cleaner transportation that will allow us to move forward on our responsibility to attack climate change.
“Dick and I are really glad to be joined today by Commissioner Giulietti who can talk in a little bit more detail about what this $1 trillion investment will mean for the state’s transportation system. The Governor and the Commissioner have outlined some really ambitious plans to improve transportation for Connecticut commuters, including the Time for Connecticut Plan, which will dramatically reduce the amount of time that Connecticut commuters are spending on trains. That plan, as the Governor said at its announcement, cannot happen without substantial federal investment. This bill puts, at a minimum, $30 billion into Northeast rail, likely significantly more than that. That funding is going to allow us to move forward on some of these really important plans to improve rail experiences in Connecticut.
“Just a couple other highlights here that are worth noting. I mentioned the renewable energy investments in this bill. Yesterday, I spent some time on the phone with the DEEP Commissioner, Katie Dykes, who talked about how much additional renewable energy we’re going to be bringing onto the grid in Connecticut and New England, especially as we build offshore wind. The grid right now can’t handle that kind of new renewable transmission load. That’s why we fought for $75 billion in this bill to improve our electricity transmission system. That matters to Connecticut because the aggressive plans we have to build renewable energy capacity can’t happen at an affordable cost for consumers without this federal investment in the grid.
“Second thing I want to point out is money in this bill for port infrastructure, both seaports and airports. We have big plans in Connecticut to upgrade Bradley and Tweed and Sikorsky. This funding, $25 billion dollars just for airports, is going to allow us to make those upgrades with less impact on Connecticut taxpayers.
“So I’m sure Senator Blumenthal will go into, you know, other details. So I’ll sort of end there. But just to say that, you know, I’m really proud of this process. This bill, in the end got almost 70 votes. Joe Biden said he was going to govern in a way that brought Republicans and Democrats together and a lot of people scoffed at him when he said that. We said that we were going to support the president in his agenda to govern with Democrats and Republicans. Joe Biden has made good on that promise. And I’m glad that we were able to play a part in it.
“Both Senator Blumenthal and I were in daily contact with all of the relevant committees that were writing this legislation. In a previous call, I outlined in a little bit more detail the specific wins for Connecticut, and I’m happy to go back into that detail. But the big picture of this bill is great news for Connecticut, but there are all sorts of very small, distinct wins for Connecticut in this legislation as well.
“And I’m really glad because––and I’ll end here—this bill is a win simply because of the massive investment in infrastructure that will matter to Connecticut and our economy. But it’s also a win for the health of America’s democracy because it shows we can still do big things by coming together.
“Now, we still have work to do. This is the sum total of the of the infrastructure spending that Republicans and Democrats are [going to] agree on. And that’s not going to stop us from moving forward and passing other legislation with Democratic votes, but we could have passed the whole package with just Democratic votes. I think it was a smart idea to say let’s find the common agreement, do that together––and then on the items where Republicans aren’t willing to join––we’ll do that with Democratic support. I think this will make people have a lot more faith in the political process––the willingness that this president and Democratic leadership in the Senate have shown to do everything that we can in a bipartisan way, and I’m really happy to have played a role in that process.”
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