“After decades of talk about rebuilding our infrastructure, tonight we got it done,” said U.S. Rep. Elissa Slotkin in a statement after the legislation President Joe Biden said would “create millions of jobs, turn the climate crisis into an opportunity, and put us on a path to win the economic competition” passed in the House late Friday.
Slotkin, D-Holly, said she “enthusiastically voted for the bipartisan infrastructure bill, which represents a once-in-a-generation investment in rebuilding Michigan, while creating tens of thousands of good-paying, union jobs in my state.”
Slotkin said the bill includes over $7 billion for Michigan to repair roads and bridges; more than $1 billion to replace lead pipes and clean contaminated drinking water; and over $100 million for internet.
In Michigan, the Bipartisan Infrastructure Deal will invest:
- $7.3 billion for federal-aid highway apportioned programs and $563 million for bridge replacement and repairs;
- $1 billion to improve public transportation options across the state;
- $110 million to support the expansion of an electric vehicle charging network in the state;
- $100 million to help provide broadband coverage across the state, including providing access to at least 398,000 Michiganders who currently lack it; and
- $23 million to protect against extreme weather events.
“I’m very happy that this package is finally headed to the president’s desk to be signed into law,” Slotkin said. “Passing this bill is the clearest signal we can send — to our constituents and to the world — that bipartisan agreement is still possible, and that Congress can deliver for the American people on the biggest challenges we face.”
Slotkin also voted for a procedural motion to begin debate on the Build Back Better Act, also known as the “human infrastructure” bill.
“From the beginning, I have laid out what I need to see to support this bill,” said Slotkin, who rode with the president from Lansing to Howell when he visited the Operating Engineers Local 324 training facility on M-59 in Howell on Oct. 5. She said she told the president the bill needed to be “transformative” for Michigan, and include change on childcare and lowering prescription drugs costs, and that it needed to be “targeted”: “It needs to be paid for,” Slotkin said, “and not on the backs of the middle class.”
You can read about the president’s historic visit to Livingston County by clicking here.
“After getting the latest draft of this bill on Nov. 3, my staff and I have pored over this legislation to understand the details and give them a thorough review,” Slotkin said. “As an independently-minded representative from an independently-minded district, I have a responsibility to actually read the full bill, understand the details, and show our math. I’ll be working with my colleagues in the coming days to make sure we finish that process so we can take the next steps and deliver for our constituents.”
You can read details of what the legislation means for Michigan here:
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