Commentary: US Rep. Sam Graves
U.S. Rep. Sam Graves R-Missouri
Dear Friend,
The United States has always been a nation of builders, continually seeking to improve our infrastructure. Now, 250 years since the inception of our great country, the next generation of America’s infrastructure has arrived. This week, as Chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, I proudly introduced the BUILD America 250 Act, a five-year Highway bill investing in America’s roads, bridges, transit, rail, and highway safety.
The BUILD America 250 Act is about our core infrastructure—roads and bridges. It’s the largest investment in our bridges we’ve ever seen, funding both heavily traveled, large bridges, as well as small bridges and low-water crossings on our rural roads, which are maintained by our counties. I’ve worked tirelessly to fix our bridges across North Missouri, and this bill builds on that work.
The bill also consolidates and streamlines infrastructure programs. We don’t need a bunch of duplicative programs with extra bureaucracy. That’s why it also cuts red tape, streamlining the permitting process, so projects can be done on time and on budget.
The BUILD America 250 Act provides flexibility to our states, so they can adequately address their unique needs. Ultimately, they know a whole lot better than the federal government what projects need to be done because they work directly with local officials every day and hear what’s working and what’s not.
Not only does this bill prioritize safety on our roads and bridges, but it also adds more truck parking, so truckers moving goods across the country can safely stop. Safety is also a focus on public transit, as we’ve all seen and heard the stories about murders and assaults. Travelers deserve to be safe, and the BUILD America 250 Act makes that clear.
Of course, building the next generation of America’s infrastructure comes at a cost. As a conservative, I believe we should pay for what we use. Unfortunately, electric vehicles aren’t currently paying to use our roads. The BUILD America 250 Act will ensure that everyone pays their fair share for the use of our roads.
After 14 long hours of debate and amendments this week, the Transportation Committee joined together to pass the BUILD America 250 Act by a vote of 62-2. Now that is a truly bipartisan infrastructure bill. That’s the way we should be getting things done, and I look forward to it heading to the House floor soon.
Sincerely,
Sam Graves
