DELAURO STANDS UP FOR “MAKE IT IN AMERICA” AGENDA

Washington, DC— Congresswoman Rosa L. DeLauro (CT-3), Ranking Member on the Labor, Education, Health, and Human Services Appropriations Subcommittee, joined House Democratic Whip Steny H. Hoyer (MD-05) and dozens of other House Democrats for the introduction of the "Make It In America" agenda for the 112th Congress today. The "Make It In America" agenda is a plan to encourage job creation by investing in education and entrepreneurship, strengthening our infrastructure, and bettering American competitiveness in the global economy.

Congresswoman DeLauro has introduced legislation that is included in the "Make It In America" agenda, the National Infrastructure Development Bank Act, which would create a National Infrastructure Bank with the purpose of leveraging private sector funds to invest in transportation, environmental, energy and telecommunications infrastructure projects. The Bank would consider each project's economic, environmental, social benefits and costs objectively and select projects of significance supplementing other federal infrastructure funding programs.

Congresswoman DeLauro has been advocating a similar proposal to the National Infrastructure Development Bank Act since 1994. A bipartisan group of mayors and governors support the concept, as well as the business, investment, and labor communities.

"We need to be committed to making sound investments in our ability to out-educate, out-innovate and out-build our competitors so that we can create good middle class jobs and strengthen American competitiveness. We need to be a country that builds things again, and the "Make It In America" agenda does this by focusing on investing in education, infrastructure, and enterprise.

"But with today's budget constraints, innovative financing solutions are needed. A National Infrastructure Bank would enable us to expand and enhance our existing infrastructure, and make the critical investments in the modern infrastructure systems needed to create good-paying American jobs and compete at the highest levels of the global economy.

"Now is the time to invest in our nation, building better infrastructure systems and a stronger economy. I look forward to continuing to work with my colleagues and the President to make this bank a reality."