Amid growing bipartisan support for federal action on the nation’s infrastructure, the National Governors Association (NGA) will be represented this week at two milestone events urging federal initiative on investing in the nation’s physical assets.
NGA CEO and Executive Director Scott D. Pattison will kick off the week Tuesday with comments at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Infrastructure Summit, followed by Minnesota Governor Tim Walz testifying Thursday to the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure.
Governors look forward to working with Congress as it develops legislation that enhances our current infrastructure programs, provides states flexibility for augmenting investment with innovative financing tools, streamlines the federal review process in a way that maintains necessary environmental protections and embraces innovative practices and forward-looking technologies.
“We are encouraged that the Administration and Congress are focusing on the nation’s infrastructure needs,” Pattison said. “Governors have been leading the way in terms of innovative strategies to address state-level infrastructure needs and the federal government equally needs to prioritize modernization and investing in the future. Modern and well-maintained infrastructure is vital to the economy, public safety and quality of life, and achieving this goal requires the full collaboration of federal, state and local governments.”
NGA has made infrastructure a top priority for the 116th Congress and this month begins a robust dialogue for the nation’s governors.
• On Feb. 5, Pattison will address the U.S. Chamber of Commerce during its annual Infrastructure Summit, providing the state-level perspective on project needs and ways that the governors are applying innovative and evidence-based strategies. The event convenes business leaders, policy makers, investors, innovators, developers, workforce leaders and other experts to discuss the modernization of America’s infrastructure. His remarks are expected around noon.
• On Feb. 7, Gov. Walz will testify on behalf of NGA and the state of Minnesota to the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure during a hearing on “The Cost of Doing Nothing: Why Investing in Our Nation’s Infrastructure Cannot Wait.” The hearing will examine the current state of highways, bridges, transit systems, ports and airports, the trillion-dollar backlog of maintenance and repair needs, and the increasing costs of federal inaction. His testimony is expected after 9:30 a.m.
• On Feb. 23, governors are slated to lead an infrastructure roundtable with Ed Rendell, former governor of Pennsylvania, and Bill Shuster, former chairman of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, and leadership from Capitol Hill to spotlight the issue and discuss federal engagement at NGA’s Winter Meeting.
NGA’s advocacy to Congress to enact comprehensive infrastructure policy builds on years of working with our federal partners to invest in the nation’s critical systems, such as water resources and transportation networks.
