As House members debate Democrats $1.5 trillion infrastructure spending package, Republicans have voiced opposition, saying it is not a true bipartisan infrastructure bill that addresses the needs of their districts but rather a socialist wish-list largely taken from the Green New Deal.
“The Speaker has chosen to spend the Houses time this week on a cousin of the Green New Deal masquerading as a highway bill,” Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) said on Twitter. “You dont have to take my word for it. The Chair of the @TranportDems said, This is the application of the principles of the Green New Deal.”
The Democrats package, The Way Forward Act, includes more than $300 billion of investment in renewing roads and bridges and $100 billion in transit to zero-emission buses. It triples the funding for Amtrak to $29 billion, allowing for upgrades and expansion of the rail network. It also plans to modernize U.S. postal service infrastructure, which includes a zero-emission postal vehicle fleet.
The package also prioritizes climate change-related and clean energy projects, with an investment of more than 70 billion-dollars on renewable energy, including extensions to tax credits for onshore and offshore wind, solar, and carbon capture.
Democrats are not hiding the fact that the infrastructure package is focused on what they call a “climate crisis”; instead they criticize President Donald Trump and Republicans for not heeding the warning of climate scientists.
Congressman Adam Smith (D-Wash.) said in a tweet Wednesday, “The Moving Forward infrastructure package is necessary investment in green infrastructure and clean economy envisioned in the @ClimateCrisis report. We must continue to enact bold, science-based legislation to address this crisis.”
One reason Republicans are critical of the infrastructure package is because they say Democrats did not seek to work with the GOP and make it a truly bipartisan piece of legislation that could reach the Presidents desk.
Congressman Bradley Byrne (R-Ala.) said, “Surface transportation is a #bipartisan issue. But to craft their My Way or the Highway bill, @HouseDemcrats ignored @HouseGOP input.” He said the Democrats are trying to implement the Green New Deal. “Americans want a Real highway bill, NOT #socialism,” he added.
Rep. Scott Perry (R-Pa.) said the democrats do not have a viable way to pay for this legislation.
“I spoke on the House Floor in opposition to H.R. 2 – a $1.5 trillion partisan infrastructure bill. Its time for the games to stop, and to work on a bipartisan bill that invests in our American infrastructure – which is beyond desperately needed,” said Perry (R-Pa.)
“1400 pages unrelated to the repair and build out of our nations infrastructure two tRead More From Source
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