WASHNIGTON (NEXSTAR) — Members of Congress want to improve the country’s infrastructure.  

“I believe this is what America deserves,” Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said.
Thursday, Buttigieg told a House committee it’s time to invest in America’s infrastructure.

“Every citizen, regardless of political affiliation, shares the need for reliable roads, railways, and air transportation,” Buttigieg said.

Buttigieg says the right green investments will also help lift the country out of a pandemic economic slump.

“There is near-universal recognition that a broader recovery will require a national commitment to fix and transform America’s infrastructure,” Buttigieg said.

Oregon Democratic Congressman Peter DeFazio says supporting infrastructure will help the country evolve.

“We also have to have an eye on the 21st century and the challenges of the 21st century as we rebuild it,” DeFazio said. 

Republicans support rebuilding the country but say focusing solely on green projects will put the country at a disadvantage.

“Americans want to be first in all the good things that we love. We don’t want to be first if it imperils us vis-a-vis our adversary, the Chinese communist party,” Pennsylvania Republican Congressman Scott Perry said.

Perry says the push from the Biden administration for electric vehicles and public transportation is a China-first policy.

“It’s great when you have public transit and you want to use that, but many people want the privacy and the autonomy and the flexibility to drive their own vehicles,” Perry said.

Lawmakers hope to have a bipartisan infrastructure bill ready in the coming weeks.