FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 10, 2021
CONTACT
Mike Friedberg
202-469-5131
(Washington, D.C.) – Today, the Senate passed H.R. 3684, the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act by a bipartisan vote of 69-30. This landmark legislative package includes $944 billion in total spending over five years, totaling $550 billion in new spending. Specifically, the package consists of $110 billion in new spending for roads and bridges, $73 billion for power grid upgrades, $66 billion for rail and Amtrak, and $65 billion for broadband expansion. It also provides $55 billion for clean water and $39 billion for transit.
The Senate passage of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act supplemented with the rollout of the Northeast Corridor Commission's CONNECT NEC 2035 (C35), demonstrates clear recognition of the NEC as an invaluable asset poised to stimulate the economy and transform the state of rail infrastructure in the United States. Of note to the Coalition for the Northeast Corridor, the bill includes $24 billion of funding to the federal-state partnership grants for Northeast Corridor modernization, a program that CNEC members have consistently sought funding for, and $6 billion for Northeast Corridor Grants to increase procurement and deferred maintenance backlog that currently exists on Amtrak’s Northeast Corridor between Washington and Boston.
"The Senate passage infrastructure package will provide targeted investment in the most utilized rail hub in the country," said Michael Friedberg, executive director of the CNEC. "As members of the Coalition for the Northeast Corridor (CNEC), we urge the House of Representatives to support the Senate-passed bill and ensure the enactment of provisions that will spur investment in the NEC."
CNEC is the business community's voice for strengthening rail infrastructure in order to reduce congestion, create jobs and grow the economy. We represent diverse stakeholders who rely on the Corridor to conduct commerce, access customers, and transport employees.
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