IDA HIGHLIGHTS NEED FOR INFRASTRUCTURE
Shaken by haunting images of surging rivers, flooded roads and subways and other damage caused by Hurricane Ida, lawmakers from both parties are vowing to upgrade the nation’s aging infrastructure network.
As the deadly storm moved from the Gulf Coast through the Northeast, members of Congress said the deluge offered irrefutable evidence that power lines, roads, bridges and other infrastructure are deteriorating even as storms and other extreme weather events are intensifying. At least 50 people from Virginia to Connecticut died. Another at least 16 deaths were blamed on the storm in Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama.
Lawmakers said the catastrophe is the latest example of why the nation needs the nearly trillion-dollar infrastructure bill passed by the Senate last month. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y. and other Democrats also are calling for passage of President Joe Biden’s $3.5 trillion, partisan rebuilding plan aimed at helping families and combating climate change.
Democrats hope to pass both bills by the end of this month, but action on the bipartisan bill may be difficult until the larger package is ready. Progressives have said they won’t support a bipartisan bill without strong companion legislation to advance their priorities.
The U.S. had 22 climate and weather disasters in 2020 with losses exceeding $1 billion each, and eight such disasters this year as of July 9, according to NOAA.