The mayors of some of Texas' largest cities are coming together to urge Congress to pass a bipartisan infrastructure bill.
"The bipartisan infrastructure framework will enable our cities to make necessary upgrades to our local transit networks, our roads, bridges, water systems, clean energy networks, broadband access, pollution abatements and cybersecurity infrastructure," says San Antonio Mayor Ron Niremberg.
The Senate advanced the roughly $1 trillion plan with a bipartisan group of senators, helping it clear one more hurdle today.
Those senators are now bracing to see if support can hold during the next few days of debate and efforts to amend it.
Lubbock Mayor Dan Pope says infrastructure should not be a partisan issue.
"Potholes are not Democrat or Republican," says Pope, "they're just potholes."
One common theme among the mayors is that improving infrastructure needs to be a collaborative effort from all levels -- local, state, and federal.
"We're holding up our end of the bargain through well thought through bond programs (and) capital infrastructure planning in our cities," says Fort Worth Mayor Mattie Parker, "but what we haven't had is a supplemental partner on the federal side, and this is what this infrastructure bill really represents.
"Those folks that need access for education, for health care, and for jobs, broadband is a bedrock of this," Parker continued. "And we can't do it alone in our communities. It's too expensive, and technology innovation is changing too rapidly."
"Our infrastructure is aging," says Plano Mayor John Muns, "our cities like Plano need support from Congress for critical infrastructure investments, not only in Texas but across the country as well."
Muns points out that Plano is growing so fast that it has outgrown its infrastructure.
"Traffic flow is consistently one of the top complaints we've received as a city, and I'm sure it is for all of our big-city mayors," says Muns. "People drive the plane on daily commutes, and it's putting a great strain on our roads, bridges, and signals."
The infrastructure bill would also help border cities like El Paso.
"The bipartisan infrastructure framework offers an unprecedented opportunity to invest in the infrastructure that is so important to the health of our country's international trade system," says El Paso Mayor Oscar Leeser.
Whether the number of Republican senators willing to pass a key part of President Biden's agenda grows or shrinks in the days ahead will determine if the president's signature issue can make it across the finish line.
"We are hopeful, and encouraged, especially with the recent movement in the Senate, that the negotiations will be swift, allowing Congress to take the necessary action to advance the framework to the President's desk," says Niremberg.
Arlington Mayor Jim Ross says there is no excuse for Congress not to pass it once and for all.
"When we can work together and move our state forward, so can Congress work together in moving this infrastructure bill forward," says Ross.
Information from the Associated Press was used in this story.
LISTEN on the Audacy App
Sign Up and Follow NewsRadio 1080 KRLD
