Klobuchar Campaign Press Release - Amy Klobuchar Releases Trillion-Dollar Plan To Rebuild America's Infrastructure
MINNEAPOLIS, MN — Today, U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar announced a bold, trillion-dollar plan to invest in our country's future by rebuilding America's infrastructure and creating millions of good-paying American jobs.
President Trump is asking Congress for $200 billion for infrastructure in his budget proposal that will supposedly support an over a trillion-dollar investment, but his plan is a mirage and he leaves the details up to lawmakers. Klobuchar has a concrete, commonsense proposal that will make sure our country's infrastructure is second to none.
Klobuchar's infrastructure plan will be her top budget priority, and she will work to get it done during the first year of her presidency. And she has a proven track record of delivering results. When the 35W Bridge collapsed into the Mississippi River, she got the funding and the bridge was rebuilt in just 13 months.
"America needs someone who will deliver on their promises and get things done for this country," Sen. Klobuchar said. "This plan is about bringing our country together. Building bridges is not just a metaphor -- this is what I've done and what I will continue to do as President. "
As President, she will focus on seven major areas of infrastructure investment:
• Repair and replace our roads, highways, and bridges. The collapse of the 35W Bridge was a tragic reminder that America has failed to maintain the roads, bridges, and other public infrastructure that keep our people safe and our economy strong. Amy will repair and replace our roads and highways, reduce congestion, upgrade America's over 50,000 structurally deficient bridges, fix the roads and bridges washed out by the recent floods in the Midwest, eliminate the "pothole tax," and stabilize the Highway Trust Fund.
• Provide protection against flooding and update and modernize our airports, seaports and inland waterways. Amy will increase public investment in our airports and modernize our aviation system so air travel is safe and efficient. She is also committed to updating our ports, locks, and dams, as well as investing in our inland waterways to accommodate anticipated growth in waterborne traffic. And beyond waterborne cargo, Amy's plan will update our levees and provide critical additional protection against the serious threat of flooding.
• Expand reliable public transit options and update rail infrastructure. Our country's investments in public transit have not kept pace with the demand for reliable public transportation, particularly for low-income communities and communities of color. Amy will increase investments in public transit with a focus on decreasing barriers to opportunity and reducing our energy consumption, overhaul our rail infrastructure, and bring high-speed rail to more communities.
• Rebuild our schools and overhaul our country's housing policy. K-12 public schools represent the nation's second-largest infrastructure sector and the condition of school buildings is critical for advancing student performance, classroom learning, and student health. And while school building conditions are a national problem, the disrepair of America's public schools disproportionately affects students in low-income communities that cannot raise funds for maintenance, repair, or modernization. Amy will fix our crumbling and unsafe schools, update the physical and digital infrastructure needs of our schools, and establish an ongoing role for the federal government to invest in school infrastructure.
• Connect every household to the internet by 2022. Roughly one in four rural Americans say access to high-speed internet is a major problem. That's why as President, Amy will connect every household in America to the internet by 2022.
• Build climate-smart and green infrastructure. Amy's plan makes a down payment on transforming our economy from one reliant on fossil fuels to one that depends on clean energy. That means sweeping legislation that invests in green infrastructure, modernizes our aging energy infrastructure so that it is secure and efficient, strengthens bioenergy capabilities, puts incentives in place to overhaul our building codes, and invests in energy efficiency retrofits and rural renewable energy development. Amy will also help states and cities plan for the impacts of climate change by building stronger, more resilient infrastructure.
• Ensure clean water. For far too long, America has been underinvesting in the drinking and wastewater systems that keep our communities healthy and safe. Amy will make a historic commitment to addressing our drinking and wastewater infrastructure so that all Americans—including those in low-income communities, communities of color, and rural communities—have reliable access to safe and clean water. She will also make a serious investment in sewer and sanitation systems.
Amy Klobuchar, Klobuchar Campaign Press Release - Amy Klobuchar Releases Trillion-Dollar Plan To Rebuild America's Infrastructure Online by Gerhard Peters and John T. Woolley, The American Presidency Project https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/node/365965