November 05, 2021

New Democrat Coalition Celebrates the House Passage of Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act

New Democrat Coalition (NDC) Members unanimously voted tonight to send the NDC-endorsed Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) to the President’s desk for his signature. The NDC has long advocated for transformational infrastructure investments to modernize our nation’s crumbling infrastructure, create good-paying American jobs, spur economic growth, and combat climate change. Our Members worked hard to incorporate smart and innovative policies in this bipartisan legislation, including provisions that reflect fifteen NDC-endorsed bills. New Dems made progress on the President’s Build Back Better economic agenda by voting to pass the single largest investment in our nation’s infrastructure in decades and the rule for the Build Back Better Act. We look forward to a passing the final Build Back Better Act as soon as possible to continue delivering for Americans.

“The American people elected Democrats to get stuff done, and today, New Dems, our colleagues, and the President delivered for our communities,” said NDC Chair Suzan DelBene (D-WA). “New Dems have been leading on policy and pushing for swift action on the President’s Build Back Better economic agenda. This legislation makes long-overdue investments to modernize our nation’s infrastructure, grow the economy, create quality jobs, tackle the climate crisis, and ensure our people and nation have the tools and opportunities to compete and succeed in the 21st century.” 

“The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act will unlock economic opportunity in suburban communities like mine in Georgia by expanding access to transit, update our electrical grid as we transition to renewable energy sources, and serve as a down payment to mitigate the effects of climate change on our communities,” said NDC Infrastructure Task Force Co-Chair Carolyn Bourdeaux (GA-07). “It also represents proof that Congress is capable of putting partisan differences aside to solve big problems. I am proud to lead my colleagues on delivering the largest infrastructure investment in generations. I commend Chair DelBene and the many other members of the New Democrat Coalition who played a critical role in getting this bill across the finish line.”

“We need a strong economic foundation to guide our recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic, and the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act provides exactly that by investing in American workers,” said NDC Infrastructure Task Force Co-Chair Norma Torres (CA-35). “This legislation will create millions of good-paying jobs, while upgrading the roads and bridges workers take to get to them. It will expand public transit options, allowing workers to access more job opportunities and easing congestion in our neighborhoods and on our highways. This bill also provides crucial funding to protect districts like mine that are especially hard-hit by extreme weather, including flooding, droughts, and wildfires. I’m proud to prioritize American workers, and I look forward to the development and growth that will come as a result of these investments.”

The NDC worked closely with Congressional leadership and committees, the President, and senior administration officials to advance a bill that reflects the Coalition’s infrastructure priorities and several NDC-endorsed bills, including:

  • Η.R. 3651, the Revitalizing American Priorities for Infrastructure Development (RAPID) Act, Rep. Colin Allred
  • H.R. 2991, the Connecting America’s Active Transportation System Act, Rep. Chris Pappas
  • H.R. 2833, the Reconnecting Communities Act, Reps. Anthony Brown and Lisa Blunt Rochester
  • H.R. 512, the Green Bus Act, Rep. Julia Brownley
  • H.R. 1514, the POWER ON Act, Rep. Scott Peters
  • H.R. 611, the Rebuilding Our Communities by Keeping Aggregates Sustainable (ROCKS) Act, Rep. Greg Stanton
  • H.R. 1615, the Maximizing Our Redevelopment and Efficiency for Transit Oriented Development (MORE TOD) Act, Rep. Anthony Brown
  • H.R. 2474, the Invest in American Railroads Act, Rep. Annie Kuster
  • H.R. 1992, the Storing CO2 and Lowering Emissions Act (SCALE) Act, Rep. Marc Veasey
  • H.R. 3347, the Generating Reduced Emissions by Electrifying New (GREEN) Buses Act, Reps. Rick Larsen, Derek Kilmer, and Julia Brownley
  • H.R. 3516, the Greenhouse gas Reduction and Environmental Enhancement through New (GREEN) Ferries Act, Rep. Rick Larsen  
  • H.R. 3585, the Revive Economic Growth and Reclaim Orphaned Wells Act of 2021 (REGROW) Act, Rep. Lizzie Fletcher
  • H.R. 1733, Revitalizing the Economy of Coal Communities by Leveraging Local Activities and Investing More (RECLAIM) Act of 2021, Rep. Matt Cartwright
  • H.R. 451, the Building United States Infrastructure and Leveraging Development (BUILD) Act, Rep. Earl Blumenauer
  • H.R. 382, the Bikeshare Transit Act, Rep. Earl Blumenauer

Earlier this year, the NDC prioritized infrastructure in the Coalition’s 100 Day Agenda. The Coalition also relaunched its Infrastructure Task Force, outlined policy priorities, and endorsed a slate of infrastructure bills that will modernize our infrastructure, combat climate change, and create jobs. The NDC encouraged Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chair Peter DeFazio to include these priorities in legislation and successfully secured language that reflected several NDC-endorsed bills in the INVEST in America Act. 

--->