Subject: RE: FOR RESEARCH: excerpts from today's call
From: "Crystal, Andy" <[email-masked]>
To: "Garcia, Walter" <[email-masked]>, RR2 <[email-masked]>
Date: Wed, 18 May 2016 16:21:55 -0700

Couple small eds

From: Garcia, Walter
Sent: Wednesday, May 18, 2016 6:54 PM
To: RR2
Subject: FOR RESEARCH: excerpts from today's call

For Immediate Release
May 18, 2016

Contact: DNC Press - 202-863-8148

Remarks from DNC Press Call to Discuss Republican Obstruction on Critical Infrastructure Spending

In light of National Infrastructure Week, Rep. Eddie Bernice Johnson, Rep. Pete Gallego, and the Texas Democratic Party held a press call today to highlight the fact that our nation is in the midst of a worsening infrastructure crisis, yet Republicans in Congress have refused to act to ensure safety on our roads and bridges. This isn't leadership, and Texans deserve much, much better.

Please find remarks below from the call as prepared for delivery:

Representative Eddie Bernice Johnson

I've been a proud member of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee ever since I was sworn into office in January 1993, so as you can probably imagine, National Infrastructure Week means a great deal to me.

That's why I've consistently advocated for and supported bills that would create millions of jobs and give Americans what they deserve: a modern, 21st century transportation network.

Simply put, I fully understand that infrastructure is fundamental to both our economy and our daily lives. Think about it: every day we use bridges, roads, and airports to get around; every day we use the internet to connect with the world; and every day we use products that were created in factories and that arrived safely to the stores we bought them in.

Both our Democratic presidential candidates get it, too. Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders have proposed detailed infrastructure plans, and they've been campaigning throughout the country, talking about how we need to make investments quickly, or risk paying the consequences and having America become less competitive.

In spite of this, Republicans in Congress have refused to act to ensure safety on our roads and bridges. Time and again, they have obstructed legislation that would invest in infrastructure, all while being more than willing to give huge tax breaks to the rich.

This has huge implications for my home state of Texas because 16%<http://www.infrastructurereportcard.org/a/#p/state-facts/texas> of our bridges have been deemed functionally obsolete and 15%<http://dccc.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/160422-Will-Hurd-TX-23-Research-Book-ONLINE.pdf> of our major roads are in poor condition; and because Texas has reported $33.9 billion<http://www.infrastructurereportcard.org/a/#p/state-facts/texas> in drinking water infrastructure needs over the next 20 years. And so, infrastructure spending isn't some sort of game for Texans; it's a serious need.

Republicans have had their way obstructing new investments in infrastructure for years. We need to elect leaders up and down the ballot who understand our prosperity can only grow when we have the infrastructure to support it.

Representative Pete Gallego

...

Everybody uses roads, bridges, airports and railroads, and investing in them shouldn't fall to partisan political games. Republicans and Democrats all use the infrastructure that we need, and frankly, the perception is that all this is fundamental to the economy, and therefore, is something that we should all be able to agree on. And yet as Congresswoman Johnson has mentioned, on the Republican side, they don't seem to get it. My opponent, Mr. Hurd, is a great example of that because he has several voted several times against the interests of people in the 23rd District.

For example, he voted for an amendment that would have ended the Sunset Limited Track Line that runs through CD-23. It runs form LA to New Orleans, and for those of us who live in West Texas...that's a critical part of our transportation infrastructure. That's how we get tourists to Big Bend National Park. You know, those places in the 23rd are not places that you get to on your way to somewhere else, you go there because it's the destination. And the infrastructure out there is aging, and incredibly important. So that is only one example.

...

We have more cars on the highways of this state than we've ever had. We're one of the fastest growing states by population, more people are moving to Texas, and yet we don't see any help from the Republican majority in Congress. So, there is a clear disconnect between what Republicans like Mr. Hurd will say about representing districts like the 23rd and what their vote actually does. And we know that Texas voters will always be ready to hold their representatives accountable in November; it's just a question of getting the information that we know out to each and every voter.

Manny Garcia Executive Director Texas Democratic Party

At the Texas Democratic Party, we know just how much is at stake in the upcoming election, and that's precisely why we're making sure to hold Republicans accountable on issue after issue. Infrastructure spending is no exception.

Republican misplaced priorities do nothing to solve the very real challenges facing Texas families. What we need now is the political courage to listen to Texas families and act. The economy and the quality of our family's lives depend on it. Unfortunately for years, Republicans have neglected our infrastructure and often obstructed legislation that would invest in our future, usually justifying that obstruction by calling those projects nothing but wasteful government spending

This directly impacts the people of our great state of Texas. Because of Republican obstruction, our roads and bridges aren't getting fixed, and folks are having to experience longer and longer commute times, among other things. That's completely unacceptable. Time of congestion is time from being away from our families and time from being productive at work.

For us at the Texas Democratic Party, this makes clear that we need to elect Democrats, not Republicans, and so, we're going to continue working to make that happen.

###

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Walter Garcia
Western Regional Press Secretary
Democratic National Committee (DNC)
Email: [email-masked]<mailto:[email-masked]>
Twitter: @WalterGarcia231<https://twitter.com/WalterGarcia231>
[SigDems]<http://www.democrats.org/>