Press Releases

Congresswoman Chellie Pingree (D-Maine) today said President Biden’s American Jobs Plan presents a once-in-a-generation opportunity to address the nation’s long-overlooked domestic infrastructure challenges, particularly the climate crisis, decaying infrastructure, and rural broadband connectivity.

“Since the 1960s, America’s domestic investments have plummeted by 40 percent, and now we rank 13th internationally in overall infrastructure quality. If we want to have a strong economy, leave our children a healthy planet, and be a world leader going into the future, we need to make big infrastructure investments now. The American Jobs Plan presents a once-in-a-generation opportunity to modernize the way we move, live, care for our most vulnerable, and manufacture in this country,” said Rep. Pingree.

“As too many extreme weather disasters have shown, America is underprepared for growing impacts of the climate crisis. The American Jobs Plan adds urgency to climate action by sparking an electric vehicle revolution; reducing traffic congestion; expanding public transit; building affordable, weatherized housing stock; and making our electric grid more resilient.

“Slow internet in Maine is more than just an inconvenience for the people who live there: it is causing workers and students to be left behind. I have long said internet connectivity must be treated as a public utility, like electricity. The American Jobs Plan would finally make that a reality by pledging to bring affordable, reliable, high-speed broadband to every American. 

“To pay for this plan and reduce the deficit, President Biden has proposed a tax code that rewards work not wealth. For years, Fortune 500 companies have paid zero taxes while shipping jobs overseas. This practice is indefensible and must end.  I support the President’s approach to bringing about overdue tax fairness and creating good-paying, unionized jobs in the process.

“It’s no mistake that President Biden chose to unveil his job creation plan at a union hall. His proposal is the most pro-union bill we’ve seen from a President in decades. Not only does his plan ensure organized labor is used to rebuild our crumbling infrastructure, it includes the PRO-Act – a bill that recently passed the House which protects the basic right to join a union. This is a big step forward for organized labor.”

“As the House builds on this package in the coming weeks, I will be pushing for provisions to modernize our food system, support coastal economies, and provide incentives for farmers to enhance carbon sequestration and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.”

In a letter sent today, Pingree joined 35+ House Members in calling on the Biden Administration to provide $10 billion in the next recovery package for coastal restoration and resilience projects.

On March 9, 2021, Pingree joined 225 House members in passing the Protecting the Right to Organize (PRO) Act, the most comprehensive pro-labor legislation in decades. H.R. 842 provides new protections for workers and holds accountable employers who violate workers' rights. 

Pingree is a member of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Agriculture, which appropriated $635 million for the USDA ReConnect Program in FY 2021. She is also a member of the Rural Broadband caucus and has cosponsored many bills to support expansion of rural broadband. 

Pingree was recently elected by her caucus to serve as Chair of the House Appropriations Committee Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Subcommittee  where she has made climate change mitigation her top priority. She is also a cosponsor of the Electric Cars Act which would fully extend the electric vehicle tax credit for 10 years and deploy critical charging infrastructure.

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