USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack is making stops around the country touting the recent infrastructure bill passed through Congress. In Bloomer, Wisconsin, he discussed the top priorities of the bill.
“The priority is to get things done on time, on task, and on budget, and that improves every aspect of the infrastructure investment. We obviously want to expand access to high-speed internet to all corners of America in order for people to fully take advantage of this, not just being able to say we’ve got broadband, but being able to make sure it’s usable: high upload and download speeds so that it’s actually meaningful for distance learning, for telemedicine, for business development, and for uses in the family home.”
He says too many roads and bridges are overdue for repairs.
“We want to improve those roads and bridges. We want to fix those bridges. We want to improve the roads. Why? Because we want to be able to get people safely to their homes and their businesses from day to day. We want people to save time with a better transportation system. We also want to be able to maintain the competitive edge that America has, and ag exports, which are directly connected to the efficiency of our transportation system.”
Vilsack adds that a fully-functioning lock-and-dam system is vital for U.S. agriculture.
“If we can speed up the process of crops going down the Mississippi River, we’re going to be able to sell those crops more competitively. We’re going to sell more of those crops and that’s good for farmers.”
Source: NAFB News Service