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The High: Last week, Congress passed a monumental and much-needed infrastructure bill that President Biden signed into law yesterday. That bill will not only fix our roads, tunnels, and bridges, and bolster public transit options, but it will also support critical investments in broadband deployment and water infrastructure. After a year with many setbacks, this historic bill is great news for our country—generating a significant number of new jobs and helping to pave the way for a clean energy future.
As your Attorney General, I led a bipartisan State AG effort to push Congress to include critical funding in this bill for expanded broadband access. And with State Senator Bob Rankin, I made the case for making water infrastructure a priority for major funding. This bill is the most significant legislation passed by Congress to rebuild and repair our nation’s infrastructure since the establishment of the interstate highway system. These investments will make an enormous difference in our daily lives and communities and are worth celebrating.
The Low: Our infrastructure bill stands as a testament that bipartisanship and collaborative problem solving in Congress is still possible. That is important. But the painful reality is that Republican representatives who voted with Democratic members to pass this important bill are now paying a heavy political price. Consider, for example, that Congressman Fred Upton, a dedicated public servant who has sponsored important bipartisan legislation, finds himself the target of unfair and dangerous attacks—facing death threats even—for supporting the bipartisan infrastructure bill. That’s just wrong—and unacceptable. While the passage of this bill demonstrates that principle over party is still possible in Congress, these attacks against principled Republicans are a reminder of the challenges the American political system continues to face.
The Way Ahead: America is a place, and it is an idea. This infrastructure bill will undoubtedly make it a better place for years to come. The health of our democratic republic—the idea of America and its very soul—is, however, now at stake as we work to continue our nation’s commitment to democratic self-governance. As we do so, I will not waver in my commitment to collaboration and working together to take on important issues that matter to Colorado—like investing in broadband and water infrastructure.
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