Madison, Wis. — Today, Wisconsin mayors from Green Bay, Madison, La Crosse, and Wausau hailed President Biden and Democrats in Congress for working towards a “transformative” investment in Wisconsin’s future. The Build Back Better Framework builds on Gov. Evers’ investment in repairing Wisconsin’s roads and bridges.
The four mayors — who hail from all corners of the Badger State — praised President Biden’s Build Back Better Framework and Bipartisan Infrastructure Deal as historic bills that will combat climate change, create resilient infrastructure, lower costs and cut taxes for working families, and create thousands of new jobs across Wisconsin.
As Democrats in Congress work to deliver this once-in-a-generation investment in Wisconsin’s future, Republicans like Senator Ron Johnson continue their opposition to the historic Build Back Better Framework. Johnson tried to kill the Bipartisan Infrastructure Deal, even after admitting he didn’t read it.
Read about the Build Back Better Framework here, and read excerpts from the four mayors’ discussion below:
Green Bay Mayor Genrich:
- “The Bipartisan Infrastructure Deal is the most significant long-term investment in the United States’ infrastructure and competitiveness in nearly a century. A vote for this bill is a vote to create millions of good-paying union jobs, grow our economy, invest in communities that have too often been left behind, advance equity, fight the climate crisis, and position the United States to compete globally, and really win in the 21st century.”
- “Being a Great Lakes Community on the Bay of Green Bay, we’ve seen a lot of extreme weather events and rising water levels and so this is a huge priority for us and I know that this investment will be a true benefit for residents here in the city.”
- “There’s been a lot of discussion about top-line numbers and who’s up and who’s down and moderates versus progressives, but here at the local level, we’re just really focused on what this will do for our residents and our citizens here…just couldn’t be more excited about what this means for people in Green Bay.”
La Crosse Mayor Reynolds:
- “It’s been generations since we’ve seen this sort of infrastructure investment in the U.S. and in working-class Americans. And so we’re incredibly excited to actually see this come to fruition. It is pretty thrilling for us at the local level, it is tremendous.”
- “Part of this Build Back Better plan is a historic and very comprehensive investment in affordable housing — one of the biggest in history. That is going to have a significant impact for us… We’re at a crisis point with our homeless and our unsheltered population here in the city of La Crosse, and I know that many communities elsewhere are facing the same thing. It’s extremely difficult to get a foothold on dealing with that situation without this level of investment, so really appreciate that.”
Madison Mayor Rhodes-Conway:
- “I want to start by thanking President Biden and congressional leadership for getting us to this point. It has been a little bit of a road and I’m really grateful for all the work that has gone into this — it shows a real commitment to helping and serving the American people.”
- “This is a generational investment in combating climate change — something that is really critical for our future… [We’re] looking at how we can improve our stormwater management system with both grey and green infrastructure to prevent future catastrophic flooding, and we’re not even halfway through that mapping… We cannot make those investments on our own. We need the federal government to support us in this work.”
- “Between the investments in care, in climate, in kids, and infrastructure, this is something that will be transformative for the city of Madison, for the state of Wisconsin, and for the entire United States of America. I am so grateful to the President for sticking with it and to congressional leadership — and for finding something that we can get across the finish line and get these investments out and working for the people of Wisconsin and Madison. “
Wausau Mayor Rosenberg:
- “I think what my fellow mayors intended to just start off with was OMG. It’s a BFD. This is a big deal. They’ve said it’s transformational, and they’re not lying. I mean, this is a big deal.”
- “My county, Marathon County, lost 55% of our child care providers during the last recession. And that means in my community, you can only pay hundreds of dollars a week for child care if you can find it. We know that every child deserves the best start, and this plan ensures that every three and four-year-old has access to universal pre-K. A world-class economy begins with equitable access to high-quality care and education for our youngest constituents.”
