Congresswoman Sylvia R. Garcia Votes to Create Millions of New Jobs, Rebuild America with Bipartisan Infrastructure Package

WASHINGTON D.C.— Today, Congresswoman Sylvia R. Garcia (TX-29) issued the following statement on the historic passing of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill to bring much-needed and transformative investments in infrastructure and good-paying jobs across Houston, Texas, and the entire country:

"Tonight's vote is the sum of months of hard work and negotiations in Congress fighting for the people of the Texas 29^th district. Now the real work begins as these investments kickstart millions of projects across our country to transform our crumbling infrastructure and create millions of good-paying American jobs—that will specifically benefit Latinos and communities of color," said Congresswoman Sylvia R. Garcia (TX-29). "The results of these historic investments will be hard to miss. Americans will get back to work, our communities will drink clean water, and our ports, airports, waterways, roads and bridges will be revitalized. I can't wait to see how our country will Build Back Better and leave this pandemic behind once and for all. ¡Si se puede!"

Together, the bipartisan infrastructure bill and the Build Back Better Act are estimated to create an average of 2 million jobs each year over the next decade.

In the wake of the pandemic, poor infrastructure has struggled to keep up with a sharp increase in consumer demand – resulting in added costs for businesses and delays for consumers. The United States ranks 13th globally in terms of the quality of our infrastructure, and the American Society of Civil Engineers gave the condition of our infrastructure a C-. As the economy continues its strong recovery, President Biden and the Congress are seizing this historic moment to Build Back Better: improving infrastructure in every state in the union, growing the economy and helping Americans get back to work, while advancing justice and opportunity for all.

This Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill will:

• Rebuild roads and bridges nationwide, including the largest bridge investment since the construction of the interstate highway system seven decades ago;
• Deliver clean drinking water to ten million families and more than 400,000 schools and child care facilities nationwide with the largest-ever investment in American water infrastructure to replace lead pipes and service lines across the nation;
• Expand access to reliable high-speed internet to help more families get online to work and learn;
• Make historic improvements to public transit, with the largest federal investment in American history and the largest federal investment in passenger rail since the creation of Amtrak; and

The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act now goes to President Biden's desk to be signed into law.

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Congresswoman Sylvia R. Garcia was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in November 2018, becoming the first Latina ever to represent the Texas 29th Congressional District. She serves on the House Judiciary and Financial Services Committees.