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8/11/2021

Statement from Secretary of the Treasury Janet L. Yellen on Senate Passage of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill | U.S. …

Statement from Secretary of the Treasury Janet L. Yellen on
Senate Passage of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill
August 10, 2021

With this morning’s vote, the Senate has not only begun the largest modernization of
American infrastructure since Eisenhower built the Interstate System; it has also taken an
important step towards correcting a decades-long pattern of underinvestment.
For more than a generation, funding for crucial national priorities like infrastructure has been
on a downward trajectory, harming workers and businesses alike. During the pandemic, we
saw how a broadband network that was not accessible for millions of Americans made it
more challenging for businesses to operate and workers to perform their jobs remotely. Now
a er many years, this trend of underinvestment is being reversed. That’s what today’s vote
signifies. I applaud the leadership and bipartisanship of President Biden and all the senators
who supported this critical legislation.
It's important to understand what this bill is and what it isn’t. It is not a stimulus package
like the American Rescue Plan, intended to help people weather a crisis. Instead, this bill is
designed to do the hard, generational work of building a stronger, more structurally sound
economy with smart investments in the future. Let’s be very clear, that is not a task that can
be completed in one piece of legislation.
Indeed, our work isn’t done here. We have critical investments in the future that we must still
address in reconciliation. Because if we truly want to build a stronger economy, we must
invest not just in infrastructure, but in other public goods like childcare, education, and
a ordable housing. I look forward to working with Congress to ensure that today’s economic
step forward soon has a sequel.
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