Jim Gerlach, President & CEO of the Greater Reading Chamber Alliance (GRCA), issued the following statement in response to the recent passage of the bipartisan infrastructure INVEST in America Bill (H.R. 3684):
Responsible, robust investment in physical infrastructure has been the top priority of the business community for the last two decades. Our members are encouraged to see the Senate come together in a first step, bipartisan manner to pass the $1.2T infrastructure deal in H.R. 3684 (INVEST in America Bill). Investment in infrastructure is the key to unlocking the full potential of our economy and Berks County is in the prime location to reap the benefits. GRCA is also pleased to see the increased investment in passenger rail as we continue to support the restoration of passenger rail from Reading to Philadelphia.
Now that this legislation is before the U.S. House of Representatives, we strongly encourage our Berks County U.S. House delegation to move the legislation forward quickly while, at the same time, working to delete the debt-exploding, non-infrastructure portions of the bill that will add another $250 billion to the nation debt if enacted as is. The time for a terrific infrastructure bill, that doesn’t also explode our national debt, is now.