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Senate passes trillion-dollar infrastructure bill, AFBF says it upgrades rural America
The Senate has passed a $1 trillion dollar infrastructure bill 69-30 that includes investments in roadways, broadband, ports, and inland waterways.
Andrew Walmsley, senior director for congressional relations with the American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF), tells Brownfield the $110 billion allocated for roads and bridges is long overdue. “The challenge is particularly with a lot of our rural bridges being structurally deficient where farmers are having to go out of their way for weight limitations or rough conditions.”
AFBF sent a letter to all U.S. senators on Friday supporting the INVEST in America Act. AFBF says modernizing America’s transportation infrastructure is a priority for the organization and the agreement would “boost resiliency of farms, ranches and rural communities.”
Walmsley says the legislation includes relief and flexibility for hours-of-service for livestock haulers. “There’s a moral imperative to treat them with care, to get them safely to their destinations and current hours-of-service regulations don’t treat livestock any different than a box of t-shirts or TVs.”
He says the bill also includes $65 billion for broadband with a significant portion dedicated to rural areas. “When you look at emerging technologies, the ability to use precision agriculture, connecting our farms to provide climate-smart ag practices, we need that technology and that connection,” Walmsley says.
Senators are debating a much larger package that provides $3.5 trillion dollars in investments with $135 billion for agriculture and child nutrition programs.
Andrew Walmsley, senior director for congressional relations with AFBF:
