Rocky River Republican Anthony Gonzalez joins House Democrats in passing long-delayed bipartisan infrastructure bill

FILE - In this July 21, 2021, file photo workers repair a park near the Capitol in Washington. Senators working on the infrastructure plan hope to have a bill ready to be voted on next week. President Joe Biden has made passing the bipartisan plan a top priority, but a Senate test vote failed this week after Republicans said they needed more time to finish the package and review the details. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File)
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WASHINGTON, D. C. — After months of dithering and arm-twisting, the U.S. House of Representatives passed a $1.2 trillion infrastructure bill late Friday that supporters said will provide money to repair Ohio’s crumbling bridges, roads and airports.

Nearly all the legislative body’s Democrats supported the measure, as did 13 Republicans, including Rocky River Republican Rep. Anthony Gonzalez. Six Democrats voted against the bill. All are members of the House Progressive Caucus, which wanted to delay passing the infrastructure bill until the House votes on a separate $1.75 trillion “Build Back Better” spending package whose details have been in flux for months. Others in the progressive group said they were satisfied with the commitments they received for the eventual passage of the second bill.

“We made the determination that the country needs to continue to move forward, and so we feel like we got the best of all worlds,” Progressive Caucus Chair Pramila Jayapal of Washington told reporters.

Gonzalez did not release a statement on the vote, but Ohio Republican Sen. Rob Portman, who spent weeks negotiating the bill that the Senate passed in August, called it a long-overdue investment in the nation’s core infrastructure.

“America’s infrastructure is in desperate need of repair, and today, Congress made good on our promise to the American people to improve it for future generations,” said a statement from Portman. “While I’m disappointed it took the House of Representatives nearly three months to pass the Infrastructure Investment & Jobs Act following bipartisan passage in the Senate, I’m pleased this historic legislation is now ready for the president’s signature.”

Portman said the bill would invest $9.2 billion in Ohio’s roads and highways and provide nearly half a billion dollars to assist with bridge repairs, including the Brent Spence Bridge in Cincinnati, with another $12.5 billion available in competitive grants.

The bill also dedicates funding to replace lead water service lines and upgrade sewer systems to ensure communities’ access to clean and safe drinking water and will be beneficial to mid-sized cities in Ohio that are having difficulty funding improvements. The Great Lakes Restoration Initiative will get a $1 billion infusion to fund projects to decrease pollution, keep invasive species out of the lakes, address erosion and help communities address rising lake levels.

A statement from President Joe Biden said he looks forward to signing the bill into law. He described it as “a once-in-a-generation bipartisan infrastructure bill that will create millions of jobs, turn the climate crisis into an opportunity, and put us on a path to win the economic competition for the 21st Century.”

U.S. Rep. Tim Ryan, a Niles-area Democrat, said the bill would help Northeast Ohio and “Voltage Valley” continue to lead the nation in clean energy research and manufacturing to power the next generation of electric vehicles. He said the bill would invest $7.5 billion nationwide to build an electric vehicle charging network that will enable the vehicles to become more widespread and provide Ohio with a minimum of $100 million to help provide broadband internet to the at least 259,000 Ohioans who lack it. Nationwide, the bill will provide $65 billion to expand access to reliable, high-speed internet.

Toledo Democratic Rep. Marcy Kaptur said Ohio’s share of money for the electric vehicle charging network would be $140 million. The state will also get $1.4 billion for water infrastructure, $1.2 billion for public transportation and $253 million to improve its airports.

“After decades of trickle-down economics and disastrous trade policies, we are finally investing in the workers who make and build what makes and builds America,” said a statement from Kaptur. “By rebuilding our roads, bridges, and ports, expanding our transportation systems and broadband internet, and upgrading our water and energy infrastructure, we will unleash our region’s full potential and secure a better future for our workers and families.”

A statement from newly seated Democratic Rep. Shontel Brown of Warrensville Heights said the legislation “will immediately benefit Northeast Ohio, all while creating good-paying, American jobs.

“As a former County Council Member, I know first-hand that America’s infrastructure is in desperate need of repair,” said Rep. Brown.

U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown, an Ohio Democrat, noted the legislation included provisions he authored that would apply strong “Buy America” rules to all taxpayer-funded infrastructure and public works projects, which would provide major investment in American-made iron, steel and manufactured products.

“We’re delivering historic wins for Ohio that will create good-paying American jobs that cannot be shipped overseas, and that will help Ohio communities of all sizes, all over the state, thrive and grow,” said a statement from Sen. Brown.

Republicans who opposed the bill said they disliked that it was tied to the upcoming larger spending bill. Bainbridge Township GOP Rep. Dave Joyce said would “pave the way for nearly $2 trillion in deficit spending.”

“This is just step one in a two-step dance by Democrats and progressives to spend trillions of dollars on socialist programs and pour gasoline on the fire of inflation,” said a statement from Holmes County Republican Rep. Bob Gibbs. “House Democrats have been fully transparent that both this bill and the socialist spending bill are connected to and depend on each other for passage. It would be a betrayal of our values and commitment to our constituents for any Republican to vote to advance Biden’s agenda in any way, shape, or form.”

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