Press Releases

Washington, DC—July 1, 2021....Congressman Steve Womack (AR-3) released the below statement after opposing H.R. 3684, partisan legislation that seeks to implement Green New Deal principles under the guise of infrastructure. The package includes liberal wish list items unrelated to infrastructure, prioritizes urban needs at the expense of rural America, and contains heavy-handed regulations and unrealistic mandates that will hinder needed transportation modernization:

“This bill is undeniably more of a vehicle to appease the socialist left rather than a serious attempt to prioritize our nation’s infrastructure needs. The bloated, big-government approach implements more Green New Deal mandates than actual provisions to support roads and bridges. It will further blow up the deficit for things like transit facility art. Decorations are not infrastructure. It also fails to fix the overly bureaucratic process that has throttled infrastructure improvement projects for decades. We need real solutions—not more wasteful spending and bad policy.”

H.R. 3684 is more about funding liberal pet projects than improving our nation’s infrastructure:

• Half the money in this bill goes towards the Green New Deal’s radical agenda.
• Expands big government by creating 41 new government programs.
• Ties states’ hands by restricting how money can be spent. Dramatically reduces flexibility for states and local partners to address their unique needs.
• Fails to reform the project review process.
• The bill is not paid for. Its spending increases rely heavily on more deficit spending, which will further fuel inflation.
• Includes a loophole, which would allow U.S. tax dollars to flow to China for electric vehicle battery production. 
• Places new restrictions on building roads, while defining “art” as infrastructure.

Congressman Steve Womack (AR-3) has represented Arkansas’s Third Congressional District since 2011. He is a member of the House Appropriations Committee.

womack.house.gov

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