02.12.18

Hoeven Statement on President's Infrastructure Proposal

Senator Working to Include Move America Act, WIFIA Reauthorization in Infrastructure Package

WASHINGTON – Senator John Hoeven today issued the following statement after the White House released a proposal to revitalize the nation’s infrastructure.

“We appreciate the White House’s proposal to repair and improve our nation’s infrastructure,” Hoeven said. “We are especially encouraged by the focus on rural infrastructure, as well as innovative approaches to funding infrastructure, which will help taxpayer dollars go farther. Investments like these not only support good-paying jobs in construction and similar industries, they also support the long-term growth of our economy as a whole. In the Senate, we are working toward this shared goal, and I will continue to advance the Move America Act and my WIFIA reauthorization legislation as part of this effort.”

The White House’s proposal includes:

  • Generating $1.5 trillion in infrastructure investments. This would include:
    • Direct federal funding. 
    • Incentives for state, local, tribal and private entities, similar to Hoeven’s Move America Act.
    • Expanding existing financing programs, like the Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (WIFIA) and rural utility lending.
  • Devoting $50 billion of direct federal funding to a new Rural Infrastructure Program.
  • Deferring to state and local governments on regulations and infrastructure priorities.
  • Providing regulatory flexibility to federally-funded projects, like those under the Department of Transportation and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
  • Streamlining permitting by removing redundant reviews and limiting the process to two years.
  • Strengthening the nation’s workforce development by targeting in-demand fields as well as supporting technical education and workplace experience.

Hoeven is working to pass innovative new solutions to help local communities fund their infrastructure, like his Move America Act and his bill to reauthorize WIFIA, as part of a larger legislative package. The Hoeven-sponsored measures align with the principles outlined in the White House’s proposal and would help leverage greater state, local and private investment in infrastructure.

The Move America Act is bipartisan legislation that would complement public funding in infrastructure, including investments in rural America, through tax credits and tax-exempt bonds. Qualified projects include roads, bridges, transit, ports, rail, airports, water and sewer facilities and rural broadband.

Hoeven’s bipartisan WIFIA legislation would help stimulate investment in water infrastructure, such as flood control, storm water management and wastewater treatment, by providing long-term, low-cost loans and loan guarantees. The bill would make these loans available through Fiscal Year 2024 under the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. It would also consolidate the administration of the program under the EPA’s pre-existing infrastructure for WIFIA loans, which would allow the Corps to move forward on identifying eligible projects.

In addition, Hoeven continues his efforts as chairman of the Senate Agriculture Appropriations committee to support robust funding for rural infrastructure, such as water, electric and broadband. As part of this work, Hoeven recently met with Anne Hazlett, Assistant to the Secretary for Rural Development at the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). The meeting comes in advance of Hazlett’s visit to North Dakota this week, where she will hold a roundtable with Rural Development State Director Clare Carlson in Bismarck on strategies to ensure rural prosperity.

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