Majority Leader Schumer Floor Remarks On Americans Across The Country Seeing The Impact Of Investments Made Possible By The Infrastructure Investment And Jobs Act

Washington D.C. – Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) today spoke on the Senate floor on the historic investments into our country’s infrastructure made possible by the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. Senator Schumer stressed that Democrats will remain focused on the implementation of the major legislation Senate Democrats passed including the Inflation Reduction Act, the CHIPS and Science Act, and the bipartisan infrastructure law. Below are Senator Schumer’s remarks, which can also be viewed here.

When people think about the July 4th holiday, they think about fireworks, BBQs, and family. But last week, many Americans saw something else too: they saw more construction workers hard at work in their communities.

They saw more hardhats and shovels and cranes and cement trucks operating day and night. They saw, in other words, Democrats’ agenda in action – an agenda that has created 35,000 new infrastructure projects over the last two years. These projects will mean millions of new good-paying jobs across the country for years to come.

New York is a terrific example. Last week, I was proud to announce that nearly $7 billion in federal dollars has been approved for the Gateway Tunnel project, in what will be the largest federal transportation grant in history, for the most important infrastructure project in America.   

Gateway has been a true passion of mine for more than a decade, a labor of love that I’ve been focused on for a long time. It’s critical for our economy in the Northeast and, in fact, in the entire country. Should the tunnels under the Hudson not be useable, the Northeast and probably the country would go into recession, so this affects everybody.

And the funding I announced is a direct result of the terrific work we did in Congress to pass generational infrastructure legislation. Our work over the past few years is paying off: the Gateway project alone will create 72,000 new jobs, good-paying jobs, and generate over $19 billion in ancillary economic activity, in addition to the dollars being spent.

And our infrastructure agenda is not just bridges and tunnels either!

The Administration announced recently over $42 billion in broadband funding is heading to states across the nation – more money so kids can access high-speed internet at home, and so more families in both rural and urban communities can stay connected across the country.

I thank my colleagues who worked over the July 4th weekend to announce all the great projects happening around the country. Implementation will remain a top Democratic priority.

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