Peter DeFazio

Mr. DeFAZIO

Mr. DeFAZIO. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, this is a long overdue honor for Judge Stamp. And as the gentleman from West Virginia said, he would never have sought this honor himself, but it is being done by Congress in recognition of his great service to our Nation and the judiciary. Mr. Speaker, I urge Members to support the legislation, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. DeFAZIO

Mr. DeFAZIO. Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 5763) to provide an extension of Federal-aid highway, highway safety, and transit programs, and for other purposes.

Mr. DeFAZIO. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on H.R. 5763.

Mr. DeFAZIO. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Madam Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 5763, the Further Surface Transportation Extension Act of 2021. Here we are again, calling up yet another short-term extension of Federal highway, transit, highway safety, motor carrier, research, and transportation financing programs. As I stated when the House took up the first extension on October 1, the House of Representatives did its work last summer, which included a 5-year authorization of surface programs, well in advance of the need for any extensions. And the Senate did later pass a 5-year authorization. We haven't yet found a path forward for both Chambers to pass the same version of the bill, but we need to act immediately to be certain we don't have a lapse in authorization. There are adequate funds in the highway trust fund to cover this extension. No additional funds will be necessary. If we don't, on October 31, 3,700 employees will again receive furlough notices that they cannot report to work on November 1, or have to work without pay, with a temporary shutdown of those programs. The Federal Highway Administration won't be able to provide any new funding to States, the District, or territories. They will be able to continue reimbursing, but a lot of States are beginning--they have initiatives and applications pending for new programs, and all those would be set aside and delayed. The Federal Transit Administration won't be able to issue new funding to 1,300 transit grantees that rely on Federal grants to fund construction; buy vehicles and equipment, an ongoing process; and, in some cases, pay for operating costs. The FTA can continue to make payments for grants issued before October 1--again, not adequate looking at future needs. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration cannot award new grants, and the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration must stop issuing new motor carrier safety grants. And the Office of the Secretary will not be able to make any further TIFIA loans. The Further Surface Transportation Extension Act of 2021 will allow the Department of Transportation to restart operations of programs funded by the highway trust fund through December 3, 2021, which will be a momentous day around here. It also authorizes DOT to provide backpay for employees in the event of a temporary shutdown. I urge my colleagues to support this extension which will help provide additional time to work through the final resolution of a long- term surface transportation bill. Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. DeFAZIO. Madam Speaker, I have no additional speakers, and if the gentleman is prepared to close, I would be prepared to close. Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. DeFAZIO. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Madam Speaker, just to reiterate for colleagues that may be listening, this extension goes till December 3. There are adequate funds in the highway trust fund to fund all the regular programs. This will be at current authorization levels. It will allow States to move forward and propose new highway and bridge projects. It will allow transit agencies to go ahead and acquire new equipment and make other necessary repairs or improvements to their systems. The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration will be at full operating and full funding, so there will be no lapse should we pass this now. I urge an ``aye'' vote. Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. DeFAZIO

Mr. DeFAZIO. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 5434) to provide an extension of Federal-aid highway, highway safety, and transit programs, and for other purposes.

Mr. DeFAZIO. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks and to include extraneous material on H.R. 5434.

Mr. DeFAZIO. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 5434, the Surface Transportation Extension Act of 2021. I wish that we were not at this point, calling up a short-term extension of Federal highway, transit, highway safety, motor carrier, research, and transportation financing programs. Yet, here we are. The House did its work. We passed the INVEST in America Act on July 4, H.R. 3684, a 5-year transformative reauthorization of surface transportation for the Nation dealing with climate change, resilience, creating jobs, social equity, a host of other things, and rebuilding our crumbling infrastructure. The Senate did something different, but they did pass the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, the Senate amendment to H.R. 3684, which also included a 5-year authorization of surface transportation programs. We have not yet found a path forward for both Chambers to pass the same version of this bill. But we do need to act immediately to restore the ability of Federal surface transportation programs to function and to prevent putting thousands of U.S. Department of Transportation employees out of work for additional time. We need to act now to avoid further ramifications for surface transportation programs. At 12:01 a.m. today, October 1, 2021, U.S. Department of Transportation operations funded out of the highway trust fund had to shut down due to a lapse in authorization. Mr. Speaker, 3,700 employees received furlough notices that they could not work today or had to work without pay due to a temporary shutdown of these programs. Beginning this morning, the authority for Federal highway, transit, highway safety, and motor carrier safety programs lapsed. This means that until Congress passes an extension or replacement authorization, the furlough of approximately 3,700 employees will continue, and the Federal Highway Administration cannot provide any new funding to States, the District of Columbia, and the territories. The Federal Highway Administration can continue reimbursing States for obligations incurred before the lapse, but that is not enough. The Federal Transit Administration can't issue new funding to 1,300 transit grantees that rely on Federal grants to fund construction, buy vehicles and equipment, and, in some cases, pay for operating costs. They can continue to make payments for grants issued before October 1, but that is not good enough. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration can't award new highway traffic safety grants, and the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration must stop issuing new motor carrier safety grants. The Office of the Secretary can't make any TIFIA loans, which are critical for many large projects. The Surface Transportation Extension Act of 2021 will allow the Department of Transportation to restart operations of programs funded by the highway trust fund through October 31, 2021, and bring employees back to work. It will also authorize DOT to provide backpay for employees who had to miss a day of work through no fault of their own and for those who worked without pay. The bill also includes provisions to adjust program levels should Congress enact a long-term surface transportation or infrastructure bill, H.R. 3684, during the extension period. Finally, the bill provides a similar short-term extension for the Appalachian Regional Commission and the Dingell-Johnson Sport Fish Restoration Act. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this extension which will help provide additional time to work through a final resolution on the legislation between the House and the Senate. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. DeFAZIO. Mr. Speaker, I believe I have the right to close. I have no further speakers, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. DeFAZIO. Mr. Speaker, I urge all of my colleagues to support this short-term extension to put DOT back to work and get on with the critical business of rebuilding America's infrastructure. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. DeFAZIO

Mr. DeFAZIO. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Pelosi), the Speaker of the House.

Mr. DeFAZIO. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself 30 seconds. The gentleman once again conflates, confuses, confabulates. The bill before us is a bipartisan bill from the Senate, $550 billion of new spending on top of the expected income. It is not $3.5, $4.5, $5 trillion and doesn't include all those other things. It does include roads, bridges, highways, transit, water, wastewater, drinking water, lead pipes, ports, airports, and broadband, which I think his constituents want. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from South Carolina (Mr. Clyburn), the majority whip.

Mr. DeFAZIO. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Hoyer), the majority leader.

Mr. DeFAZIO. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time. Mr. Speaker, we could have perhaps had a bipartisan bill out of the House, except for the unified rejection of climate change on the other side of the aisle. Transportation is the largest single emitter of CO2 pollution in the country. This is a critical threat to our country, to the world, and we have to deal with it. The bill we wrote and passed would have dealt with that very meaningfully and moved us into 21st century infrastructure. This bill contains some of those elements that even the Republicans on this side would not support. EV charging, nope, not in their bill. Electric buses, nope, not in their bill. Electric school buses, nope, not in their bill. None of those things were in their bill. In fact, their alternative, which they didn't even offer on the floor, by the way--so they don't really have an alternative--was $350 billion for highways, status quo, with an increase in spending. No changes in policy except for the one, Rodney Davis' thing, which is in the Senate bill, to gut NEPA. Then, transit flatlined over 5 years, and rail, zero--goose egg, zero. No wastewater, no reconnecting communities, no drinking water, no lead pipes. And by the way, every billion we spend on wastewater or drinking water creates 20,000 good-paying jobs. No broadband in their bill. And the list goes on and on. So we don't have a real alternative on that side of the aisle. And should they help to vote this down, they oppose it, then they have no answer. The answer is a continuing resolution, status quo, funding, flat funding. Not dealing with the 400,000 bridges in America that need substantial repair or replacement. The 40 percent of the National Highway System which has deteriorated to the point where it has to be rebuilt from the roadbed up. The $100 billion-dollar backlog in transit, a decrepit rail system--we just had a derailment; people died--and they are going to put zero dollars into rail in their bill. Wastewater systems that back up into basements or flow into rivers, and water mains that burst, I mean, we have to deal with these things. It didn't used to be partisan. The problem is we also believe in dealing with climate change, and they can't admit to climate change because Donald Trump says it's a myth. And you can't defy Donald Trump on that side of the aisle. That is very, very sad. At least these 19 Republican Senators nodded toward it. They included money for EV charging, electric buses in the bill--at least a little tiny nod. They did take up our mandatory greenhouse gas reduction program. They did take out our critical fix-it-first principles, but we will improve on the bill with new, novel programs in the reconciliation process yet to come and deal with some of those issues, deal with the greenhouse gas reductions, deal with more transit, more rail, more wastewater--in different ways. Drinking water, lead pipes, all those things will be in the reconciliation bill yet to come. But plain and simple, the bill before us today is the infrastructure bill, the only option. Mr. Speaker, I thank all my staff. There are too many to list in the time that I have remaining, so I include in the Record a list of their names. Conclusion Before I conclude, I want to take a moment to thank my staff--especially those who drafted the INVEST in America Act. They have spent countless days, nights and weekends working on a transformational surface transportation bill over the past two years. I wish we were considering that bill today. But, without their hardwork and dedication we wouldn't be here and about to deliver for the America people the most significant investment in our nation's infrastructure in decades. Subcommittee on Highways and Transit Helena Zyblikewcyz-Staff Director Jackie Schmitz Garrett Gee Brittany Lundberg Chris Bell Zan Guendert Subcommittee on Railroads Pipelines and Hazardous Materials Auke Mahar-Piersma-Staff Director Andrea Woehbler Frances Bourne Katherine Ambrose

Mr. DeFAZIO. Mr. Speaker, they did an absolutely phenomenal job putting this whole package together--twice, two Congresses. Real legislative process on this side of the Hill. Even though the Republicans lost, they participated in the process--not so much on the other side. Some day we might get back to regular order. Mr. Speaker, I conclude and urge my colleagues to vote in favor of this legislation, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. DeFAZIO

Mr. DeFAZIO. Madam Speaker, on September 23, I voted in opposition to H.R. 4350, the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year (FY) 2022. While I support several Democratic policy priorities included in this legislation, I also have significant concerns with numerous provisions, including the irresponsibly bloated topline defense spending of $768 billion that this legislation authorizes. I strongly support the well-deserved 2.7 percent pay raise that this legislation grants our men and women in uniform. This is the very least we can do for those who continue to make extraordinary sacrifices for our country. This legislation includes additional vital benefits for military servicemembers and their families, such as expanded parental leave, improved mental health care services, a new basic needs allowance for lower income servicemembers, and more. I also strongly support the provisions included to combat the scourge of sexual assault in the military, including by creating an Office of Special Victim Prosecutor to prosecute these crimes, removing the commanding officer from decisions related to sexual assault, and finally criminalizing sexual harassment under the Uniform Code of Military Justice. As a long-time advocate for strengthening Congress's constitutional war powers authorities and limiting executive authority to engage in armed conflict without Congress's consent, I cosponsored an amendment to prohibit unauthorized U.S. participation in the Saudi-led coalition's war in Yemen. I am pleased that this amendment passed the House and will push my colleagues to keep this amendment in the final NOAA conference legislation. While I strongly support provisions in this year's NDAA, I ultimately voted against it because I believe this legislation should have included additional provisions to rein in our bloated and wasteful defense spending, take back Congress's constitutional war powers authority, and more. Instead of increasing the defense budget by several billion dollars for yet another year in a row, I strongly believe this legislation could have made responsible cuts to our defense budget without jeopardizing the safety of our troops or undermining our national security. It's beyond time for us to invest in domestic priorities for Oregonians and the American people here at home. That's why I supported an amendment to responsibly reduce the Pentagon budget while retaining exceptions to protect service members, civilian employees, and the vital Defense Health Program from this reduction. Unfortunately, this amendment failed to pass the House. For years, Congress has continued to increase the Pentagon's budget despite overwhelming evidence of its waste, fraud, and abuse of taxpayer money. It's absolutely ridiculous and irresponsible to continue throwing increasing amounts of taxpayer money at the Pentagon and lining the pockets of greedy defense contractors and special interests every year, when the Pentagon cannot even account for where this money goes. I have long supported a financial audit of the Pentagon. Unlike every other federal agency, the DOD has yet to ever pass a financial audit. For three years in a row, the Pentagon has spectacularly failed full audits, each of which highlighted numerous examples of waste and abuse. It is ridiculous to provide the Pentagon a massive spending increase-- as this bill does--when the Pentagon cannot even account for how it spends taxpayer money. That's why I'm a cosponsor of legislation to require and incentivize every component of the DOD to finally pass an audit. This legislation should have included more provisions to take back Congress's constitutional war powers authority, including repealing the long-outdated 2001 and 2002 authorizations for the use of military force (AUMFs). I also cosponsored and voted in favor of an amendment to end unauthorized U.S. military involvement in Syria. TI1e U.S. military has maintained a years-long presence in Syria without congressional approval, in contravention of the Constitution and the War Powers Resolution of 1973. While this amendment unfortunately failed, I will continue fighting to stop this unauthorized, endless war. I am also disappointed that amendments I supported either failed to pass the House or were not made in order. This includes amendments to curb the irresponsible expansion of U.S. nuclear weapons, to strengthen Buy America provisions to ensure the military supports U.S. manufacturers, to ensure veterans who were wrongfully dishonorably discharged for their sexual orientation are able to receive the veterans benefits they earned, and more. I also strongly oppose provisions in this legislation that would expand military draft registration to all Americans aged 18-25, including women. I have long opposed military draft registration and have introduced legislation to repeal the Selective Service System (SSS) altogether. The SSS is an archaic, unnecessary, unwanted, and wasteful bureaucracy that violates Americans' civil liberties and subjects Americans who fail to register--largely through no fault of their own--with unnecessarily severe, lifelong penalties, all without due process. These penalties can include denial of employment, job training, educational benefits, student loans, grants, citizenship, driver's licenses, and more--at both the federal and state levels--and they disproportionately affect low income individuals and people of color. The military itself and presidents of both parties have consistently agreed there is no military or national security imperative to ever reinstate a draft. That's why I co-led amendments to repeal military draft registration and eliminate these extrajudicial penalties. While these amendments were not made in order, I will continue fighting to repeal the SSS and end military draft registration. No American, regardless of gender, should ever be subject to or forced to register for an obsolete military draft. The bottom line is that fiscal responsibility and accountability at the DOD would allow for taxpayer funds to be better spent supporting the needs of our troops, meeting our obligations to veterans, and ensuring our legitimate defense needs are prioritized while also bolstering long-underfunded domestic priorities. I will continue fighting to responsibly lower our bloated defense spending and finally put an end to our endless wars.

Mr. DeFAZIO

Mr. DeFAZIO. Mr. Speaker, pursuant to House Resolution 601, I call up the bill (H.R. 3684) to authorize funds for Federal-aid highways, highway safety programs, and transit programs, and for other purposes, with the Senate amendment thereto, and ask for its immediate consideration.

Mr. DeFAZIO. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself 5 minutes. Americans are tired of potholes damaging their cars, failing bridges, decrepit transit, trains that derail, water mains that explode, sewer systems that back up into their basements and pollute our rivers. More than 70 percent of Americans strongly support a major Federal investment in rebuilding our crumbling infrastructure. The last major increase in Federal support for infrastructure was during the Clinton administration's first term--the first term of the Clinton administration. Then, President Bush did nothing on the issue. President Obama came in talking about infrastructure investment. He passed the American Recovery Act that invested 4 percent of all that money in infrastructure. I worked with Chairman Jim Oberstar; I chaired the subcommittee. We wrote a very ambitious surface transportation reauthorization, which he had been promised by the Obama administration would be next. But it wasn't. They pulled the plug. Then came President Trump, the builder. He invited a large group of us down to the White House. We had a long discussion, and we agreed, and finally, at the end, he turned to the Speaker and says: Nancy, Nancy, how much do you need? And she says: $1.5 trillion, Mr. President. He says: No, no, no, no; $1.8 trillion. No, no, no; two sounds better, $2 trillion. Okay. We agreed to come back in 3 weeks and hammer out the details. We came back in 3 weeks. He walked into the room, and he had a hissy fit, slammed the door, walked out, and that was the end of it, except for the seven fake infrastructure weeks during the Trump administration. Now, the House, on the 1st of July, passed the INVEST Act, a bill that went through a real legislative process, hours in committee, amendments, hours on the floor, amendments. That was the bill the country most needed for the 21st century infrastructure. I had hoped to go to conference with the Senate, actually go through the legislative process--pretty darn rare around here these days, the way things should work, the way they are supposed to work under the Constitution. Unfortunately, because of the Senate filibuster, that wasn't to happen. So, this President rolled up his sleeves and waded in because he promised to get infrastructure done. He negotiated first with one group of Republicans. That didn't work. He then found another group, mostly Republicans, two Democrats, and spent endless hours between the White House and that group, negotiating a bipartisan infrastructure bill. In the end, when this bill came to the floor of the Senate, 19 Republican Senators voted for it--19 Republican Senators voted for it. Here are a few things from the White House fact sheet on that bill. It makes the largest Federal investment in public transit ever; makes the largest Federal investment in passenger rail since the creation of Amtrak; makes the single largest dedicated bridge investment since the construction of the Interstate Highway System; makes the largest investment in clean drinking water and wastewater infrastructure in American history, delivering clean water to millions of Americans; ensures every American has access to reliable high-speed internet; tackles climate change with the largest investment in clean energy and EV infrastructure, electrifying thousands of school and transit buses; reconnecting communities; safe streets; $17 billion for ports; $25 billion for airports. This is what the President managed to negotiate with the recalcitrant Senate and get around the filibuster and get 19 Republican votes. This bill is not perfect. It is not the bill that I would have written. I oppose their decision not to correct the decade-long cuts to the bus program; the provision creating a dedicated set-aside for polluting buses within the Low or No Emission Vehicle Program. That is kind of laughable. I oppose the failure to tighten the Buy American Act requirements for transit rolling stock or to further crack down on predatory Chinese state-owned enterprises, which was in our bill, as well as the omission of the investments in fix it first and mandatory greenhouse gas reductions. I will continue to work on addressing these issues. But the reality today before us is that this is the only option with an evenly divided Senate and the stupid rules of the Senate, including the filibuster. So it is this or nothing on the long overdue investment in America's infrastructure. I hope the Republicans on the other side will support it. If they don't, I would like them to tell us exactly what they would do. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. DeFAZIO. Mr. Speaker, I include in the Record a summary of the bill written by the White House. Historic Bipartisan Infrastructure Deal Today, the President and the bipartisan group announced agreement on the details of a once-in-a-generation investment in our infrastructure, which will be taken up in the Senate for consideration. In total, the deal includes $550 billion in new federal investment in America's infrastructure. The bipartisan infrastructure deal will grow the economy, enhance our competitiveness, create good- jobs, and make our economy more sustainable, resilient, and just. The deal will create good-paying, union jobs. With the President's Build Back Better Agenda, these investments will add, on average, around 2 million jobs per year over the course of the decade, while accelerating America's path to full employment and increasing labor force participation. President Biden believes that we must invest in our country and in our people, by creating good-paying union jobs, tackling the climate crisis, and growing the economy sustainably and equitably for decades to come. The Bipartisan Infrastructure deal will deliver progress towards those objectives for working families across the country. The Bipartisan Infrastructure deal: Makes the largest federal investment in public transit ever Makes the largest federal investment in passenger rail since the creation of Amtrak Makes the single largest dedicated bridge investment since the construction of the interstate highway system Makes the largest investment in clean drinking water and waste water infrastructure in American history, delivering clean water to millions of families Ensures every American has access to reliable high-speed internet Helps us tackle the climate crisis by making the largest investment in clean energy transmission and EV infrastructure in history; electrifying thousands of school and transit buses across the country; and creating a new Grid Development Authority to build a clean, 21st century electric grid. The President promised to work across the aisle to deliver results for working families. He believes demonstrating that democracies can deliver is a critical challenge for his presidency. Today's agreement shows that we can come together to position American workers, farmers, and businesses to compete and win in the 21st century. Roads, Bridges, and Major Projects One in five miles, or 173,000 total miles, of our highways and major roads and 45,000 bridges are in poor condition. Bridges in poor condition pose heightened challenges in rural communities, which often may rely on a single bridge for the passage of emergency service vehicles. The Bipartisan Infrastructure deal will invest $110 billion of new funds for roads, bridges, and major projects, and reauthorize the surface transportation program for the next five years building on bipartisan surface transportation reauthorization bills passed out of committee earlier this year. This investment will repair and rebuild our roads and bridges with a focus on climate change mitigation, resilience, equity, and safety for all users, including cyclists and pedestrians. The bill includes a total of $40 billion of new funding for bridge repair, replacement, and rehabilitation, which is the single largest dedicated bridge investment since the construction of the interstate highway system. The bill also includes a total of $17.5 billion for major projects that are too large or complex for traditional funding programs but will deliver significant economic benefits to communities. Safety America has one of the highest road fatality rates in the industrialized world. The deal invests $11 billion in transportation safety programs, including a new Safe Streets for All program to help states and localities reduce crashes and fatalities in their communities, especially for cyclists and pedestrians. It will more than double funding directed to programs that improve the safety of people and vehicles in our transportation system, including highway safety, truck safety, and pipeline and hazardous materials safety. Public Transit America's transit infrastructure is inadequate--with a multibillion-dollar repair backlog, representing more than 24,000 buses, 5,000 rail cars, 200 stations, and thousands of miles of track, signals, and power systems in need of replacement. The deal invests $39 billion of new investment to modernize transit, and improve accessibility for the elderly and people with disabilities, in addition to continuing the existing transit programs for five years as part of surface transportation reauthorization. This is the largest Federal investment in public transit in history, and devotes a larger share of funds from surface transportation reauthorization to transit in the history of the programs. It will repair and upgrade aging infrastructure, modernize bus and rail fleets, make stations accessible to all users, and bring transit service to new communities. It will replace thousands of transit vehicles, including buses, with clean, zero emission vehicles. And, it will benefit communities of color since these households are twice as likely to take public transportation and many of these communities lack sufficient public transit options. Passenger and Freight Rail Unlike highways and transit, rail lacks a multi-year funding stream to address deferred maintenance, enhance existing corridors, and build new lines in high-potential locations. The deal positions Amtrak and rail to play a central role in our transportation and economic future. This the largest investment in passenger rail since the creation of Amtrak 50 years ago. The deal invests $66 billion in rail to eliminate the Amtrak maintenance backlog, modernize the Northeast Corridor, and bring world-class rail service to areas outside the northeast and midAtlantic. Within these totals, $22 million would be provided as grants to Amtrak, $24 billion as federal-state partnership grants for Northeast Corridor modernization, $12 billion for partnership grants for intercity rail service, including high-speed rail, $5 billion for rail improvement and safety grants, and $3 billion for grade crossing safety improvements. EV Infrastructure U.S. market share of plug-in electric vehicle (EV) sales is only one-third the size of the Chinese EV market. The President believes that must change. The bill invests $7.5 billion to build out a national network of EV chargers. This is the first-ever national investment in EV charging infrastructure in the United States and is a critical element in the Biden-Harris Administration's plan to accelerate the adoption of EVs to address the climate crisis and support domestic manufacturing jobs. The bill will provide funding for deployment of EV chargers along highway corridors to facilitate long-distance travel and within communities to provide convenient charging where people live, work, and shop. Federal funding will have a particular focus on rural, disadvantaged, and hard-to-reach communities. Electric Buses American school buses play a critical role in expanding access to education, but they are also a significant source of pollution. The deal will deliver thousands of electric school buses nationwide, including in rural communities, helping school districts across the country buy clean, American-made, zero emission buses, and replace the yellow school bus fleet for America's children. The deal invests $2.5 billion in zero emission buses, $2.5 billion in low emission buses, and $2.5 billion for ferries. These investments will drive demand for American-made batteries and vehicles, creating jobs and supporting domestic manufacturing, while also removing diesel buses from some of our most vulnerable communities. In addition, they will help the more than 25 million children and thousands of bus drivers who breathe polluted air on their rides to and from school. Diesel air pollution is linked to asthma and other health problems that hurt our communities and cause students to miss school, particularly in communities of color and Tribal communities. Reconnecting Communities Too often, past transportation investments divided communities--like the Claiborne Expressway in New Orleans or 1-81 in Syracuse--or it left out the people most in need of affordable transportation options. In particular, significant portions of the interstate highway system were built through Black neighborhoods. The deal creates a first-ever program to reconnect communities divided by transportation infrastructure. The program will fund planning, design, demolition, and reconstruction of street grids, parks, or other infrastructure through $1 billion of dedicated funding. Airports, Ports, and Waterways The United States built modem aviation, but our airports lag far behind our competitors. According to some rankings, no U.S. airports rank in the top 25 of airports worldwide. Our ports and waterways need repair and reimagination too. The bill invests $17 billion in port infrastructure and $25 billion in airports to address repair and maintenance backlogs, reduce congestion and emissions near ports and airports, and drive electrification and other low-carbon technologies. Modem, resilient, and sustainable p011, airport, and freight infrastructure will support U.S. competitiveness by removing bottlenecks and expediting commerce and reduce the environmental impact on neighboring communities. Resilience and Western Water Infrastructure Millions of Americans feel the effects of climate change each year when their roads wash out, airport power goes down, or schools get flooded. Last year alone, the United States faced 22 extreme weather and climate-related disaster events with losses exceeding $1 billion each--a cumulative price tag of nearly $100 billion. People of color are more likely to live in areas most vulnerable to flooding and other climate change-related weather events. The deal makes our communities safer and our infrastructure more resilient to the impacts of climate change and cyber attacks, with an investment of over $50 billion. This includes funds to protect against droughts and floods. in addition to a major investment in weatherization. The bill is the largest investment in the resilience of physical and natural systems in American history. Clean Drinking Water Currently, up to 10 million American households and 400,000 schools and child care centers lack safe drinking water. The deal's $55 billion investment represents the largest investment in clean drinking water in American history, including dedicated funding to replace lead service lines and the dangerous chemical PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl). It will replace all of the nation's lead pipes and service lines. From rural towns to struggling cities, the deal invests in water infrastructure across America, including in Tribal Nations and disadvantaged communities that need it most. High Speed Internet Broadband internet is necessary for Americans to do their jobs, to participate equally in school learning, health care, and to stay connected. Yet, by one definition, more than 30 million Americans live in areas where there is no broadband infrastructure that provides minimally acceptable speeds--a particular problem in rural communities throughout the country. The deal's $65 billion investment ensures every American has access to reliable high-speed internet with an historic investment in broadband infrastructure deployment, just as the federal government made a historic effort to provide electricity to every American nearly one hundred years ago. The bill will also help lower prices for internet service by requiring funding recipients to offer a low-cost affordable plan, by creating price transparency and helping families comparison shop, and by boosting competition in areas where existing providers aren't providing adequate service. It will also help close the digital divide by passing the Digital Equity Act, ending digital redlining, creating a permanent program to help more low-income households access the internet, and establishing a new program to help low-income households obtain the devices required to access the internet. Environmental Remediation In thousands of rural and urban communities around the country, hundreds of thousands of former industrial and energy sites are now idle--sources of blight and pollution. 26 percent of Black Americans and 29 percent of Hispanic Americans live within 3 miles of a Superfund site, a higher percentage than for Americans overall. Proximity to a Superfund site can lead to elevated levels of lead in children's blood. The deal invests $21 billion in environmental remediation, making the largest investment in addressing the legacy pollution that harms the public health of communities and neighborhoods in American history, creating good-paying union jobs in hard-hit energy communities and advancing economic and environmental justice. The bill includes funds to clean up superfund and brownfield sites, reclaim abandoned mine land and cap orphaned gas wells. Power Infrastructure As the recent Texas power outages demonstrated, our aging electric grid needs urgent modernization. A Department of Energy study found that power outages cost the U.S. economy up to $70 billion annually. The deal's $73 billion investment is the single largest investment in clean energy transmission in American history. It upgrades our power infrastructure, including by building thousands of miles of new, resilient transmission lines to facilitate the expansion of renewable energy. It creates a new Grid Deployment Authority, invests in research and development for advanced transmission and electricity distribution technologies, and promotes smart grid technologies that deliver flexibility and resilience. It invests in demonstration projects and research hubs for next generation technologies like advanced nuclear reactors, carbon capture, and clean hydrogen. Offsets In the years ahead, the deal, which will generate significant economic benefits, and it is financed through a combination of redirecting unspent emergency relief funds, targeted corporate user fees, strengthening tax enforcement when it comes to crypto currencies, and other bipartisan measures, in addition to the revenue generated from higher economic growth as a result of the investments.

Mr. DeFAZIO. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Pallone), the chair of the Energy and Commerce Committee.

Mr. DeFAZIO. Mr. Speaker, I have a motion at the desk.

Mr. DeFAZIO. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and to insert extraneous material on the measure under consideration, H.R. 3684.

Mr. DeFAZIO. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. Johnson), a member of the committee.

Mr. DeFAZIO. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Tennessee (Mr. Cohen), a member of the committee.