WASHINGTON—U.S. Senator Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), a member of the U.S. Senate Appropriations Committee, released the following statement after the U.S. House of Representatives passed the bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. The Senate passed the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act in August. The legislation now heads to President Biden’s desk to be signed into law.

“For decades, Republicans and Democrats in Congress have talked about working together to pass a game changing investment in roads, rail lines, and broadband. Today, we finally did it. Both houses of Congress passed the biggest bipartisan investment in infrastructure in our nation’s history, an investment that will create new jobs, finally fix our nation’s crumbling infrastructure, and deliver serious cost savings to Americans,” said Murphy. “I was proud to fight for billions of dollars in funding to improve the Northeast Rail Corridor, protect Long Island Sound, and upgrade Coast Guard infrastructure because all of this ultimately leads to job creation in Connecticut.”  

The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act includes the following wins for Connecticut:

·       $30 billion for the Northeast Rail Corridor: These dollars will fund much needed maintenance and upgrades to Connecticut rail infrastructure, including repair of major bridges and station upgrades;

·       $106 million for EPA Long Island Sound Geographic Program to protect the Long Island Sound watershed

·       $1 billion for FEMA’s Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC) grant, which will help communities become more resilient against natural disasters;

·       $489 million for United States Coast Guard, that includes all the projects in Connecticut;

o   Failing Steam System Replacement at Coast Guard Academy ($25M)

o   Chase Hall Renovation at Coast Guard Academy ($28M)

o   City Pier Improvements in New London ($6M)

·       $3.5 billion for federal-aid highway apportioned programs;

·       $561 million for bridge replacement and repairs over five years;

·       $1.3 billion over five years to improve public transportation options;

·       $53 million over five years to support the expansion of an EV charging network;

·       A minimum allocation of $100 million to help provide broadband coverage across the state, including providing access to the at least 27,000 people who currently lack it;

·       654,000 or 18.7% of people in Connecticut will be eligible for the Affordability Connectivity Benefit.

·       Murphy’s BuyAmerican.gov Act was also included in passage of the bipartisan infrastructure bill.

·       TheBuyAmerican.gov Act will establish a centralized online hub to increase transparency and ensure federal agencies prioritize the purchase of American-made goods in compliance with existing law.

 Click Here to Watch Senator Murphy Explain the Top 10 Wins for Connecticut

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