A member of President Joe Biden's cabinet spent part of the day in North Texas riding DART light rail.
Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg rode from Mockingbird Station to Lovers Lane with Congresswoman Eddie Bernice Johnson and Congressman Colin Allred.
"What we hope to see is that ten years from now, more and more residents of North Texas will be able to point to how their jobs are supported by great transportation infrastructure, how the global hub at DFW is continued to be supported as one of our great airports," Buttigieg says.
He was speaking in support of the infrastructure bill currently working through Congress. The measure passed the Senate with some Republican support, but both John Cornyn and Ted Cruz voted against the $1.2 trillion bill, saying it would add too much to the deficit.
Allred (D-Dallas) says the bill would provide $3 billion for public transportation systems in Texas but also $27 billion for highways, more than $500 million for bridge replacement, and $100 million to expand access to broadband internet access.
"It's going to be enormously beneficial to us here in North Texas," Allred says.
In addition to improved infrastructure, Allred says the bill would create jobs.
"These are all critical investments for us," he says. "We have a bi-partisan deal, one that I think the American people and people of North Texas can feel confident in and plan for the future."
"We have to face the fact that our federal government has not provided enough support for transit agencies like DART," Buttigieg says. "That's changing. That changed with the American Rescue Plan that literally saved jobs, and it's certainly true with this bipartisan infrastructure deal."
While DART has the longest light rail system in the country with 93 miles, Buttigieg says the bill would help the agency plan for future growth and transit-oriented development.
"DART's done a heroic job with the resources available to them, but we need to make a decision as a country that our cities would be better off, our families would be better off, job creation and climate action would all go hand-in-hand if transit is a means of choice for getting around," he says.
The measure passed the U.S. Senate Tuesday and is now awaiting action in the House.
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