“Meaningfully investing in safe and reliable infrastructure is a national imperative, and our state is more than doing its fair share. On a bipartisan basis, our state enacted the largest and greenest transportation package in state history in 2015 to make sure our roads, bridges, railways, ferries and transit systems can support our growing communities and economy. The president’s plan, unfortunately, abandons the federal government’s responsibility. His plan would essentially throw states a few Legos when what we really need is concrete and steel. His $1.5 trillion plan expects state, local and private partners to pick up more than 85 percent of the tab. States cannot and should not bear the burden of building a 21st century infrastructure system on our own.
“In Washington state, we also recognize the importance of transit, environmental protections and the value of protecting the cultural and historical legacies of the spaces where we build. The president’s rallying cry for deregulation will result in the silencing of local voices, the sidelining of science and the short-sighted development of infrastructure that cannot withstand the impacts of climate change and natural disasters.
“I look forward to a continued discussion about much-needed infrastructure investments from the federal government, like those proposed by congressional Democrats. It is long overdue for our federal partners to finally step up and support states with a robust infrastructure plan that meets the needs of the 21st century, and I hope the same spirit of bipartisan collaboration that brought us success in Washington state can be found in Washington, D.C.”