Hello, my name is Michael McAfee, President of PolicyLink. And I want to share a few brief remarks about the President’s infrastructure plan, a plan that I think lacks humanity. We already know that infrastructure can be a tremendous driver to advancing equity in this nation, just and fair inclusion into a society in which all can participate, prosper, and reach their full potential. We also know that infrastructure can be a tremendous boom to the economy. This plan falls far short. Take the issue of water as just one example. We already know that 77 million Americans do not have access to clean, safe, and affordable water. This plan will put the burden of fixing the nation’s infrastructure on the most vulnerable communities that we know already cannot pay for it. This plan does not have a vision for moving us forward. It repeats the sins of our nation’s past. That’s unacceptable. We’re asking you to call your congressional leadership and ask them to fix this plan, to make sure that the federal government is shouldering its responsibility, to make sure that this nation’s infrastructure works for all. More importantly, that it works for the most vulnerable. And will you also ask them to make sure that any infrastructure plan includes a job guarantee for the folks that live in these most vulnerable communities? As we transform these communities, we must make sure that they’re not left behind and that all people are participating, prospering, and reaching their full potential.

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