Katko discusses I-81 with Biden, Harris and Buttigieg
U.S. Rep. John Katko (NY-24) participated in a nearly two hour bipartisan meeting in the Oval Office on March with President Joe Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris, and Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg to discuss the importance of finding common ground on legislation to address the nation’s infrastructure challenges.
Rep. Katko, who serves on the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, participated in this discussion alongside seven other Republicans and Democrats from the committee.
He highlighted projects of local importance, including the I-81 Rebuild and shared the water infrastructure challenges facing Central New York.
Katko personally invited Buttigieg to tour the current site of the I-81 viaduct in Syracuse.
“I was glad to participate in a productive bipartisan meeting on addressing our nation’s infrastructure needs with President Biden, Vice President Harris, Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg, and several of my colleagues from the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure,” Katko said. “I reiterated my longstanding belief that to deliver a meaningful infrastructure package, we must focus on consensus policies that make sustainable investments in our communities. As a starting point, I presented a bipartisan framework proposal that I helped author which would improve our nation’s surface, water, energy, broadband, and aviation infrastructure systems.”
He continued, “I took the opportunity to highlight the importance of moving forward on the I-81 project, and personally invited Secretary Buttigieg to visit Syracuse to see firsthand the importance of this project to the City of Syracuse and surrounding region. I also raised the need for further investments in Central New York’s water infrastructure. I’m hopeful this discussion will serve as a jumping off point for additional collaboration on a bipartisan package that will deliver long overdue resources to repair and develop our nation’s infrastructure system.”
Katko also presented a bipartisan proposal he helped author, which outlines commonsense measures to modernize American infrastructure.
