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[Page S2582]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
NATIONAL PUBLIC WORKS WEEK
Mr. CARDIN. Mr. President, I am pleased that earlier this week the
Senate passed S. Res. 586, a bipartisan resolution designating this
week National Public Works Week. National Public Works Week celebrates
the profound impact our public works professionals have on our safety
and quality of life. Public works are the shared assets that make up
the backbone of our Nation. Public service professionals build, manage
and operate our nation's most essential services.
Many of us take for granted work that goes into the services we rely
on every day. This week provides an opportunity to reflect on the men
and women behind those services. Let us consider the way our daily life
is powered by public service professionals: We wake up in the morning
to turn the tap on and expect water to come out. We place our trash
bins on the street and expect it is collected in timely manner. Some of
us may drive over bridges built to last generations and follow traffic
signals that were carefully planned to keep us safe.
The work of public service professionals has a tangible impact on our
lives every single day. Consider the employee who replaced the aging
pipe that brings water to your home or the scientist that ensured that
water is safe to drink. Consider also the sanitation worker who keeps
your street clean and healthy. We can also think of the engineer who
designed the bridge and the construction worker who started the workday
before dawn to ensure the construction minimally impacted your routine.
National Public Works Week gives us a formal opportunity to humanize
these services and say thank you to the people working behind the
scenes to keep our communities running.
There is no more important time than now to recognize these
individuals. The COVID-19 pandemic has challenged our communities in
ways previously unimaginable. However, we can count on public works
employees to rise to the occasion. Public works employees are often on
the frontlines, risking their own health to ensure that services are
delivered. While much of public life has come to a standstill, the
rhythm of public services continues. Water mains break and require
repair and garbage must still be collected.
The pandemic has thrust millions of Americans into financial
uncertainty, unsure how they will pay for basic services. Many public
works agencies, like the Baltimore Department of Public Works are
continuing to offer discounted water rates as the pandemic continues.
Public works also offer hope for our Nation's economic recovery. From
the Great Depression came a formative era in the history of public
works in America. President Franklin D. Roosevelt understood the power
of transformative projects to jumpstart America's economy and provide a
higher quality life than previously known. The New Deal made an
indelible impact on the structure of our government and trajectory of
America's financial recovery. The projects themselves now stand as a
physical representation of our young Nation's capacity to overcome
adversity with ingenuity and grit.
The economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on our Nation is
profound. However, our Nation is ripe for investment in public works
projects that will put people back to work and stimulate our economy,
as was done with the New Deal. As the ranking member of the
Transportation and Infrastructure Subcommittee of the Senate Committee
on Environment and Public Works, I understand the urgent need to
address our Nation's aging infrastructure. That is why I am proud that
the Committee reported favorably, on a bipartisan basis, a surface
transportation reauthorization bill last year, America's Transportation
Infrastructure Act, S. 2303, which authorizes billions of dollars to
State and local governments to invest in roads, bridges, and highways,
and why I hope my colleagues in the Senate will come together and
follow through with important infrastructure legislation. There is no
better time than now to invest in our Nation's infrastructure and
employ a new class of public works professionals. Public works are
central to the American story of resiliency and fortitude, even in the
face of despair. This week, and always, we should look to public works
professionals with gratitude for their contributions to our lives.
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