Jim Himes represents Connecticut’s 4th District in the United States House of Representatives where he is serving his seventh term. He serves as the Chair of the Select Committee on Economic Disparity and Fairness in Growth and the National Security, International Development and Monetary Policy Subcommittee of the House Financial Services Committee.
Jim grew up as the child of a single working mom in a small town. As a member of Congress, Jim works hard to provide all American children the same opportunities he had to succeed: access to a first-rate public school, affordable and effective health care, a decent and safe home, and a supportive community.
Modernizing our infrastructure remains a priority of mine. America’s network of transportation, energy, water, broadband, and civic infrastructure was once the envy of the world. Not any longer. Metro-North and Amtrak suffer from reliability issues and delays, and the Merritt and 95 are disasters during rush hours. Every minute stuck on a train or in traffic is time wasted.
I’m proud to help pass the bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, which provides hundreds of billions in funding to repair, rebuild and modernize our infrastructure. The law includes $550 billion in new investments in bridges, broadband, roads, waterways, and more. Over five years, Connecticut will receive $3.5 billion for federal-aid highway apportioned programs, $561 million for bridge replacement and repairs, $1.3 billion for public transportation improvements, $53 million for EV charging infrastructure, $100 million for broadband deployment, $62 million for airport improvements, and $445 million for water infrastructure through just formula funding allocated to each state under the bill. That’s to say nothing of the nationally competitive grants that the law creates.
Making these investments will not only create jobs but will provide for our region’s long-term economic vitality by employing thousands of our neighbors with good-paying, non-exportable jobs. Our grandparents came together to bind our nation with an unparalleled interstate highway system. It is our turn to imagine and build the 21st-century equivalent.