REP. LORETTA SANCHEZ COMMEMORATES NATIONAL INFRASTRUCTURE WEEK

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congresswoman Loretta Sanchez (CA-46) commemorated National Infrastructure Week in a speech on the House floor this week. Rep. Sanchez’s entire floor speech can be viewed HERE.

“Our infrastructure is deteriorating at an alarming rate. The American Society of Civil Engineers estimates that our crumbling infrastructure costs families almost $3,400 a year in disposable income,” said Rep. Sanchez. “When we take into consideration the increasingly high cost of living--especially back in my home of Orange County, California--we see that our families back home are footing the bill for our lack of investment.”

“As seen in Flint, Michigan, when infrastructure fails to provide clean water our communities suffer,” said Rep. Sanchez. “In my home state of California, a massive gas leak in Porter Ranch released 100,000 tons of methane gas into the air. These failed pipelines date back to the 1950s.”

“Nearly 68% of California’s roads are in poor or mediocre conditions, and almost 30% of California’s bridges have been recognized as structurally deficient,” said Rep. Sanchez. “And as California enters its fourth year of consecutive drought we’re seeing just how crucial water infrastructure dollars can be during times of turmoil.”

“When we invest in our infrastructure, we invest in our communities, we invest in jobs, and we invest in the future prosperity of our nation,” concluded Rep. Sanchez.

During her tenure in Congress, Rep. Sanchez has successfully secured funds for numerous infrastructure projects in Orange County, including the Orange County Regional Water Reclamation Project, the world’s largest advanced reclamation project. To date, this project has recycled nearly 188 billion gallons of water, and continues to be flagship in water recycling.

Last week, Rep. Sanchez led a letter with 16 members of the California delegation urging the House Appropriations Committee to fund $2.3 billion for the Federal Transit Administration’s Capital Investment Grant Program. This grant program would fund important transportation projects across California and in Rep. Sanchez’s district, including the proposed OC Street Car project in Santa Ana and Garden Grove.

In 2015, Rep. Sanchez was appointed by Leader Nancy Pelosi as a conferee to help negotiate a landmark bipartisan long-term highway bill between the House and the Senate. Prior to this reauthorization, it had been 10 years since Congress last passed a long-term highway bill.

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Congresswoman Loretta Sanchez is proud to represent California’s 46th Congressional District, which includes the cities of Anaheim, Santa Ana, and parts of the cities of Garden Grove and Orange in Orange County. She serves as a senior member on the Committee on Homeland Security and the House Armed Services Committee, and as Ranking Member of the House Armed Services Subcommittee on Tactical Air and Land Forces.