November 19, 2022
Dear Friends,
In recent years, it has become clearer than ever that major investments are needed to bring our infrastructure and our economy into the 21st century. In New York State and across the nation, crumbling roads and bridges, failing water infrastructure, and underfunded public transit are the result of decades of underinvestment which are negatively impacting millions of Americans. And with the U.S. slipping behind foreign competitors in high-tech industries, significant federal support for our domestic manufacturers is needed to restore our nation’s place atop the global economic stage. With these pressing needs in mind, I set to work this Congress to build for the future through transformative bipartisan legislation.
This week, we celebrated the one-year anniversary of the signing of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL). With more than $1 trillion in overall investments, this groundbreaking bill is already tackling some of our nation’s most pressing infrastructure needs. Passed with bipartisan support in the House and Senate, BIL devotes significant funding to upgrade transit systems and pedestrian infrastructure, expand broadband access, fix our roads, bridges, and airports, finally remove lead pipes that poison our children, and so much more.
And these investments are already paying dividends in the daily lives of working families right here in our Capital Region. The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law delivered more than $25 million for the Capital District Transportation Authority (CDTA) to expand its fleet of electric buses and to develop its EV charging infrastructure, expanding access to clean, affordable transit for all residents of our region. The City of Mechanicville received over $3.5 million in BIL funding to improve its aging water infrastructure, ensuring a clean and reliable water supply for more than 5,000 residents. And BIL allocated more than $5.5 million for significant upgrades at Albany International Airport, expanding the capacity and improving the efficiency of a key gateway to our growing region. These investments are just the beginning of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law’s transformative impact on our region and the nation as a whole, and I’ll keep working to make certain that the Capital Region gets its fair share.
This week, I was also proud to herald House passage of my Manufacturing.gov Act, a bipartisan bill to establish a one-stop online hub to connect American manufacturers with a wide range of federal programs to boost our domestic industries. This legislation addresses a Government Accountability Office report that found the federal government maintains 58 different manufacturing programs across 11 federal agencies—creating unnecessary hurdles for manufacturers to get the resources they need.
With this bill, already passed by the Senate in October 2021, we are making certain that all domestic manufacturers can access these critical federal resources, giving them the tools they need to continue to drive economic growth in our Capital Region and beyond. This legislation builds upon our CHIPS and Science Act, also passed with bipartisan support this July, to help expand high-tech manufacturing and support good-paying jobs across the country.
Throughout my time in Congress, I’ve worked alongside my colleagues across the aisle to deliver common-sense legislation that addresses the everyday concerns of working families. In this session of Congress alone, I’ve put forth a total of 32 bills, two-thirds of which had at least one Republican cosponsor. I’ll keep working in good faith with anyone who shares the goal of making our nation a stronger, healthier, and more just place for every American.
The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, the Manufacturing.gov Act, and the CHIPS and Science Act are shining examples of the great things we can accomplish when we set aside partisan differences and act with the best interests of our communities and our nation at heart. No matter the composition of the upcoming Congress, I’m confident that we can continue to work together to improve our infrastructure, advance our economy, and create a brighter future for every American.
But in the meantime, there is still plenty of work to be done before the year’s end. We still need to act to protect our fundamental rights, provide funding to support our troops, and ensure our nation is on sound economic footing. In this Congress and the next one, I’ll be rolling up my sleeves in Washington to keep delivering for the people of our Capital Region.
As always, thank you for reading.
Your friend,
DID YOU KNOW?
My office and I are working to ensure you remain informed with the latest updates and recommendations. With that in mind, here is some information that may be of interest to you:
As the holiday season approaches, weather gets colder, and we gather indoors more frequently, illnesses like COVID-19 and influenza spread more quickly.
Americans are encouraged to take action to stay protected through the winter months.
Thankfully, we have the tools needed to safeguard our loved ones. And the Biden Administration is ensuring that those tools reach our communities.
Most critically, pharmacies across the nation are offering scheduled and walk-in COVID-19 vaccination appointments with updated vaccines that target the BA.4 and BA.5 subvariants of Omicron—the versions of the virus that are most dominant in the U.S. and around the world.
Go to vaccines.gov to find a site near you to get the COVID-19 and flu vaccine and do your part to ensure a safe and healthy winter!
