In a press release today California Farm Bureau President Jamie Johansson today applauded members of Congress for passing the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, hailing its crucial benefits for California’s agricultural communities.
“We applaud Congress for passing this critical bill,” Johansson said. “This represents a once-in-a-generation opportunity to make the kind of investment we need to bring our rural infrastructure into the 21st century.”
The legislation – H.R. 3684 – provides $550 billion in new spending on physical infrastructure over the next five years. That includes investing $110 billion in U.S. roads and bridges, $65 billion for broadband, $17.3 billion for ports and inland waterways and more than $8 billion to repair and invest in water storage and conveyance projects for the drought-impacted West.
The U.S. Chamber of Commerce estimates that California would receive more than $45 billion in long-term funding.
“This will benefit California’s farmers and ranchers, who are counting on improvements to millions of miles of roadways and waterways to get food to America’s dinner tables and upgraded ports to ship products to international markets,” Johansson said. “Our rural communities can thrive with expanded broadband and feel protected due to investments in forests that reduce wildfire dangers.
“And amid our searing drought, farmers can now look forward to long-needed improvements in water storage and conveyance systems. But we need to make sure those investments result in real infrastructure and are not bogged down in regulatory processes.”
Congressman David Valadao Statement opposed the Infrastructure and Build Back Better Package.
In a statement after his voting against the legislation he said, “While our nation’s infrastructure is in desperate need of repair, I cannot, in good conscience, vote in favor of any part of this multi-trillion dollar package. Inflation is record-high, consumer prices are rising, and our economy is still recovering from a global pandemic. This could be the largest tax increase and most expensive piece of legislation in American history. The last thing middle class families need is to carry the burden of paying for this magnitude of reckless spending for years to come.”