Shaheen: White House meeting on infrastructure was a ‘real solid starting point’
WASHINGTON – U.S. Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) recently spoke with the New Hampshire Union Leader about her meeting on infrastructure with President Biden and a bipartisan, bicameral group of lawmakers in Congress who previously served as governors or mayors.
Shaheen commended President Biden on convening a meaningful bipartisan discussion on infrastructure and expressed optimism that common ground exists among lawmakers to meet our nation’s infrastructure needs.
Shaheen told the Union Leader’s Kevin Landrigan, “I went in feeling that way, very optimistic that common ground could be found…I think everyone left the meeting feeling it was a good discussion, a real solid starting point. This was a good-faith effort.”
Shaheen has long fought to bring federal dollars back to New Hampshire to invest in critical transportation and infrastructure projects to fix Granite State roads, rail, bridges and ports. In 2019, Shaheen reintroduced legislation, the Strengthen and Fortify Existing (SAFE) Bridges Act to begin to address the more than 47,000 structurally deficient bridges across the country. Shaheen also introduced legislation that would create a national infrastructure initiative to fund innovative projects that promote energy efficiency while meeting significant transportation needs. A senior member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, Shaheen has historically secured federal funding for the Better Utilizing Investments to Leverage Development (BUILD) Grant program – formerly known as the TIGER Grant program. In Fiscal Year 2021 government funding legislation, Shaheen helped secure funding for the BUILD Grant program, totaling $1 billion.
Shaheen has also spearheaded efforts to address critical water infrastructure needs in New Hampshire and across the nation. In February, Shaheen reintroduced bipartisan legislation with Senator Thom Tillis (R-NC) to provide rural communities under economic strain during the COVID-19 pandemic with emergency assistance to repair, modernize and renovate failing water infrastructure. The Emergency Assistance for Rural Water Systems Act would provide $1 billion in emergency grants, low- and zero-interest loans and loan forgiveness for struggling small and rural water and wastewater systems across the nation. A leader in Congress on addressing per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) contamination, Shaheen recently joined a bipartisan group of Senators in urging Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen to allow state, tribal and local governments to use funds allocated through the American Rescue Plan to address contamination from PFAS, including in local water supplies. She has also led legislation that would provide billions in substantial federal funding for PFAS remediation in drinking water and groundwater, including private wells.