The Senate took a step forward toward advancing legislation that would modernize our nation’s infrastructure. In a 69-30 vote, the Senate last week approved the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, a historic $1 trillion bipartisan infrastructure package.
“Equipment manufacturers commend the U.S. Senate for passing a bold and bipartisan bill that will make a transformational investment in our nation’s infrastructure,” said Kip Eideberg, AEM senior vice president of government and industry affairs. “The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act will create nearly 500,000 new manufacturing jobs over the next three years, including more than 100,000 high-skilled, family-sustaining jobs in the equipment manufacturing industry. Investing in our infrastructure will also help us respond to our biggest challenges in ways that improve the quality of life for all Americans, reinforce our global economic standing, and protect our planet.”
The momentous vote took place just days after AEM released a new report from IHS Markit that demonstrated the potential impact of this transformational infrastructure investment. The report showed that more than 500,000 manufacturing jobs could be created in the next three years; nearly 100,000 of those jobs would be high-skilled, family-sustaining jobs in the equipment manufacturing industry. These statistics sent a positive shockwave from one end of Pennsylvania Avenue to the other. In the debate leading up to the bill’s passage, U.S. Sen. Rob Portman (R-Ohio) cited the report’s findings during a floor speech. And in its efforts to garner support for the legislation, the White House highlighted the report in a press release.
“We applaud the steadfast leadership and bipartisan work of the Senate negotiators and committees to reach agreement through a collaborative and transparent process,” continued Eideberg. “Senators Kyrsten Sinema and Rob Portman worked tirelessly to steer the bill through the Senate and overcome a myriad of obstacles, and we are grateful for their dogged focus on bipartisanship. The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act is not only a once-in-a-generation opportunity to rebuild our nation’s infrastructure, but an opportunity to restore our economic competitiveness, enhance equipment manufacturers’ ability to meet the challenges and opportunities of the 21st century, and improve the lives of all Americans. We urge the House of Representatives to put policy ahead of politics and pass this bill as soon as possible.”
After the bill’s passage, U.S. House leadership quickly announced a schedule change to bring lawmakers back early from the district work period the week of August 23. AEM will continue its proactive outreach urging members on both sides of the aisle to pursue a speedy, bipartisan path forward and ensure this one-in-a-generation opportunity to modernize our nation’s infrastructure gets to President Biden’s desk for his signature.
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