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BUILDING A BETTER AMERICA
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. Garcia) for 5 minutes.
Ms. GARCIA of Texas. Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize and congratulate President Biden and his administration following February's job report.
678,000, that is the total number of jobs created last month. But these are not just any type of jobs. These jobs are good-paying jobs that are giving Americans the dignity of a good paycheck.
In the last 13 months, 7.4 million jobs have been created, and unemployment has been slashed from 6.4 percent to 3.8 percent. When the President took office, over 18 million people were receiving unemployment benefits. Today, only 2 million people remain.
The bottom line, Madam Speaker, is we are seeing the best economy for American workers in decades, with people getting higher wages, better benefits, and better jobs across the board.
Our national deficit has also seen improvement. Under President Biden's watch, the deficit fell by $360 billion last year. This is the first deficit decline in more than half a decade. Better yet, our Nation is on track to cut the deficit even more this year. Biden's plan of action will make sure we continue our path to building a better America.
But building a better America requires much more than only economic success. It also requires healthy communities. I am proud to share that America has had much success on the public health front during Biden's first year.
In my home State of Texas, only 10 percent of the population was fully vaccinated this time last year. Today, 60 percent of the entire population is fully vaccinated in Texas. On top of that, 21 percent of the population have received a booster shot.
In short, Madam Speaker, our Nation is recovering, and we are powering through the challenges COVID-19 created.
As we continue to recover from COVID-19 and rebuild the economy, we also must invest in our infrastructure. Investing in roads, bridges, and public transportation is critical. Shockingly, in America, one in three U.S. bridges need repairs or replacement. Biden has a plan for that, too.
There are 4,000 infrastructure projects already planned, alongside 65,000 miles of highway and 1,500 bridges scheduled to be repaired.
But it is not only highways and bridges that need repairs and upgrades. Our ports need improvements as well. In my home area, the Port of Houston secured $142,500,000 in new funding because of the Biden boom.
In Houston, the transit authority, METRO, also received more than
$137 million in Federal funds to strengthen local public transportation.
The best part, Madam Speaker, this is only the beginning. I am truly excited that we are really accomplishing much for the American people as we work in partnership with President Biden and his boom. We truly are building a better America for generations to come.
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SOURCE: Congressional Record Vol. 168, No. 41
The Congressional Record is a unique source of public documentation. It started in 1873, documenting nearly all the major and minor policies being discussed and debated.
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