Washington, DC—Below is a statement by U.S. Conference of Mayors President Dayton (OH) Mayor Nan Whaley on the bipartisan infrastructure framework announced by President Biden today:
“The nation’s mayors are grateful to President Biden and his Administration for their sustained commitment to making a once-in-a-lifetime investment in the nation’s infrastructure. We also commend the Senators for their bipartisan efforts to advance increased investment in these vital public assets, which underpin our daily lives and our economic recovery.
“We recognize that there is much still to be done to fulfill our vision for a better future. We look forward to reviewing the details of this agreement and know that further negotiations are needed on policy to modernize our infrastructure, move toward a less carbon intensive economy, build a workforce for the future and help our families and businesses prosper. Mayors are calling on Congressional and Administration leaders to keep working on these most pressing challenges, especially investing in more vigorous actions to address our climate challenges and building a more just and fair economy.
“As these priorities move forward, mayors again call on our federal leaders to continue to empower local decision-makers in investing federal resources to help us build stronger communities and lift up the many that have suffered so much during this pandemic. By committing to more localism, we can invest directly in our cities through existing and proven delivery systems, such as Community Development Block Grants, Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grants and Surface Transportation Block Grants to local areas. These are the tools that will really help us build back better, and these are the commitments the nation’s mayors want to see as these negotiations go forward.”