The leadership of the National League of Cities (NLC), which represents 19,000 cities, towns and villages across the country, on Monday, wrote a letter calling on Congress to invest in infrastructure that will “[help] to drive our nation’s economic recovery.”
“Infrastructure is a job worth doing, and local governments are ready to put in the work to rebuild America’s infrastructure,” wrote the NLC. “America’s cities, towns and villages are ready for Congress to come through with infrastructure programs that partner with local governments to get projects done. We can invest together in transportation, water, broadband and workforce training to keep America moving and create local jobs.”
In the letter, NLC leaders outlined four areas of priority to their communities – transportation, water, broadband, and workforce – and underscored the urgency of Congress passing a “comprehensive infrastructure package “this summer.”
Read the full letter below:
Majority Leader Schumer, Speaker Pelosi, Republican Leader McConnell and Republican Leader McCarthy:
The leadership of the National League of Cities (NLC), representing America’s 19,000 cities, towns and villages, calls on Congress to pass a comprehensive infrastructure package this summer that rebuilds with us at the ground level and helps to drive our nation’s economic recovery. We ask for your support to pass an infrastructure package that streamlines investment directly to the local level and eliminates inefficient bureaucratic processes and puts every dollar to use quickly and efficiently.
Infrastructure is a job worth doing, and local governments are ready to put in the work to rebuild America’s infrastructure. America’s cities, towns and villages are ready for Congress to come through with infrastructure programs that partner with local governments to get projects done. We can invest together in transportation, water, broadband and workforce training to keep America moving and create local jobs. We are asking Congress to address:
- Transportation – Use all new transportation investments to leverage the local and regional efforts to build the modern, safe and technology-forward goals our residents are asking for.
- Water – Provide financing, funding and flexibility to meet the nation’s growing drinking water, wastewater and stormwater infrastructure needs and address the impacts of climate change.
- Broadband – Provide new financing and funding for broadband infrastructure, adoption and affordability that directly reaches communities of all sizes and remove state legal barriers to local broadband decision-making.
- Workforce – Invest in skills training, including short-term occupational training and on-the-job training, that will support a local talent pipeline in building, rebuilding and maintaining our critical American infrastructure.
The National League of Cities is ready to work with Congress to rebuild and maintain America’s infrastructure from the ground up. If you have any questions or want to discuss these proposals, you may reach out to the NLC Federal Advocacy team at advocacy@nlc.org.
Sincerely,
National League of Cities