It’s hard to understate how bad America’s infrastructure has gotten. The national electric grid, for example, gets a D+ grade from the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE). But the rest of our infrastructure is also in terrible shape, from bridges and roads to water systems and pipelines to schools, ports, railways, airports and more. The outages this week aren’t the first time we’ve seen the devastation of inaction, either. When two dams broke in Midland, Michigan, last year, 1,700 homes were damaged or outright destroyed. Then there was the collapse of the I-35 Mississippi River Bridge in Minnesota in 2007, which killed 13 people and injured 135 others. It can happen again: There were more than 56,000 structurally deficient bridges in the United States in 2016, according to the ASCE. The crisis in Texas this week once again is highlighting the consequences of inaction. But every crisis also yields opportunity. Investing in America’s infrastructure not only will create a safer and more secure future for our country, it also will provide a shot in the arm into the economy, which continues to struggle in the wake of COVID-19. Millions of new jobs will be created by rebuilding infrastructure, and we’ll maximize our investment by applying Buy America preferences to ensure this work takes place in the United States. Please join me in telling Congress and the White House to get to work on a major infrastructure investment package that includes Buy America. It’s time to build a Made in America future! Thanks, Elizabeth Brotherton-Bunch
Alliance for American Manufacturing |
