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March 8, 2021

Just How Much Has The United States Underinvested In Infrastructure?

The American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) has released a new report evaluating U.S. infrastructure. The ACSE offers this evaluation every four years and things looked better – albeit, slightly – for the United States in 2021. The ASCE gave the U.S. a C- overall – a grade that had improved from a D+ in 2017 – but indicated the United States still faces a $2.59 trillion shortfall in infrastructure needs.

The report comes as President Joe Biden is trying to amass bipartisan support to pursue a major infrastructure bill after Congress is done negotiating COVID-19 relief legislation. Indeed, as The Hill reported, the president met with U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg and a group of Republican and Democratic lawmakers on the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee for more than an hour on March 4. It was the president’s second meeting with the group in just the last month.

After the discussion, House Transportation Committee Chairman Peter A. DeFazio (D-Ore.) said he hoped his chamber would vote on a broad infrastructure package this spring. According to The Hill’s report, however, committee Ranking Member Sam Graves (R-Mo.) said that, while he expected discussions to continue, no concrete timeline was discussed last week.

As Connecting the Dots reported in February, MSCI is working to build support across North America for comprehensive infrastructure investments by U.S. and Canadian officials. MSCI’s campaign asks member company leaders and employees – and their customers, family members and neighbors – to share stories about why government leaders must invest in bridges, hospitals, schools, and other infrastructure. Individuals can join MSCI’s movement by logging on to www.build-now.org, signing up, and sharing photos of infrastructure in their towns and cities, states and provinces.

MSCI’s goal is to show the world how crumbling infrastructure impacts lives, families, jobs, communities, and the economy. If individuals notice infrastructure being built in their areas, MSCI wants to see that too. Log on to the website to show how many jobs are being generated, for example, or discuss the impact on the industrial metals sector. Click here for more information about the campaign and here to read more about the need for comprehensive infrastructure investment in Canada and the United States.

For employees and business owners who are interested in weighing in with federal lawmakers, the Alliance for American Manufacturing has created a portal that individuals can use to send letter to their member of Congress. Click here to access that website.

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