Subject: RE: FOR RESEARCH APPROVAL: Script for today's call
From: "Garcia, Walter" <[email-masked]>
To: RR2 <[email-masked]>
Date: Wed, 18 May 2016 08:13:15 -0700

Also, the section where I wrote "ADD ANYTHING ELSE HERE THAT YOU'D LIKE" is for the Gallego folks. Thx research!

From: Garcia, Walter
Sent: Wednesday, May 18, 2016 11:12 AM
To: RR2
Subject: FOR RESEARCH APPROVAL: Script for today's call

Has Comms Approval!

DNC Person

Hi everyone. Thanks for taking the time to jump on this call. My name is _______ and I'm the _______.

This week is National Infrastructure Week, and as the speakers on today's call will be making clear, 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.

Representative Eddie Bernice Johnson will be speaking first, then Representative Pete Gallego, and finally Deputy Executive Director at the Texas Democratic Party Manny Garcia will wrap it up.

At the end, we will have time to answer some questions.

So let's get started. Representative Johnson?

Representative Eddie Bernie Johnson

Good afternoon everyone, and thanks for taking the time to be a part of this press call.

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 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 put tax dollars into 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.

On a final note, I'd like to briefly talk about Donald Trump. It probably doesn't come as much of a surprise, but he has yet to offer a substantive plan on infrastructure. Instead, he's been offending pretty much every group imaginable - women, Latinos, Muslims. You name a group, and he's probably offended them.

Clearly, he shouldn't step foot in the White House....

Now, I'll go ahead and turn it over to Rep. Pete Gallego.

Representative Pete Gallego

Thanks for that, Representative Johnson, and for all the great work you're doing on behalf of Texans.

Folks, there's no other way to put it: infrastructure spending should not fall victim to partisan political games. Investing in roads, bridges, railroads, and airports is fundamental to our economy, and thus, is something that we should all be able to agree on.

But as Representative Johnson mentioned, Republicans just don't seem to get it, and my opponent is a clear example of that. Time and again, he's voted against the interests of people in the 23rd District on this important issue. For instance:

*         He has voted for<http://dccc.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/160422-Will-Hurd-TX-23-Research-Book-ONLINE.pdf> an amendment to bar funding on the Amtrak route with the highest loss per rider, New Orleans To Los Angeles, despite it passing through the 23rd District.

*         He has voted for<http://dccc.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/160422-Will-Hurd-TX-23-Research-Book-ONLINE.pdf> a short-term highway transportation bill that could reduce the amount of funding that Texas receives for transit programs receives by $78.9 million.

*         And he has voted against increasing funding for Del Rio airport, despite saying that it should be increased. In other words, there's a clear disconnect between how he votes and what he says.

*         [ADD ANYTHING ELSE HERE THAT YOU'D LIKE]

Lastly, I'd like to re-iterate that Donald Trump doesn't have a plan when it comes to infrastructure. All he's said is that he wants to build "a great wall" with Mexico to keep out rapists and other criminals who are apparently making their way over in droves. Seriously. And just as quick a reminder to everyone, my opponent has dodged questions on whether he'd endorse Trump<http://trailblazersblog.dallasnews.com/2016/05/rep-will-hurd-keeping-distance-from-donald-trump-pushes-back-against-pete-gallego-attack-ads.html/>. That should be a no-brainer.

In short, we should be building bridges, not walls.

And now, I'll turn it over to Manny Garcia, the Deputy Executive Director at the Texas Democratic Party.

Texas Democratic Party

Thanks, Representative Gallego.

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

For years, Republicans at every level of government have largely succeeded in obstructing legislation that would put tax dollars into infrastructure, usually justifying their obstruction by calling those projects wasteful government spending.

In 2011, Republicans blocked a plan to spend $60 billion on infrastructure as part of president Obama's American Jobs Act. In 2012, House Republicans introduced a five-year transportation bill that was strongly opposed by safety and environmental advocates. And in 2015, Senate Republicans defeated an amendment that would have allocated $478 billion in infrastructure investments.

This directly impacts the people of the 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.

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.

Thanks all.

--

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/>