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FEDERALhearing transcript

Senate Hearing: Infrastructure as a Tool for Economic Recovery

Original title: INFRASTRUCTURE: THE ROAD TO RECOVERY

January 1, 2020

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The Frame

What this does

This serves as a formal record of legislative discussions regarding potential federal infrastructure spending, which directly impacts national transportation funding, construction employment, and the timeline for economic recovery efforts.

Who is mentioned in the record

Potentially affected actors named in the source documents. Mention is not a position.

Construction Industry

The industry is the primary focus of potential federal infrastructure spending and job creation initiatives discussed.

State and Local Governments

Mayors and county associations provided input on how federal infrastructure funding impacts local economic recovery.

What changed

Last recorded activity January 1, 2020.

What's next

Next step not available in the current record.

Summary

The Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works held a on June 4, 2020, to discuss using infrastructure investment as a strategy to stimulate the U.S. economy following the coronavirus pandemic. The committee reviewed the potential for job creation and economic growth through federal funding for highways and bridges.

Key Facts

  • The hearing took place on June 4, 2020, in the Dirksen Senate Office Building.
  • The committee examined the link between infrastructure investment and economic recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic.
  • Chairman Barrasso cited a Standard and Poor's study stating that a $1.3 billion infrastructure investment creates 2,900 construction jobs.
  • The committee heard testimony from representatives of the American Road and Transportation Builders Association, the American Action Forum, and the U.S. Conference of Mayors.
  • The hearing included formal submissions for the record from various industry groups, including the American Society of Civil Engineers and the National Association of Counties.
  • The committee discussed the role of highways and bridges in reducing the costs of goods and services.

Frequently Asked Questions

What was the primary purpose of this hearing?
To evaluate how federal infrastructure projects could help the U.S. economy recover from the recession caused by the coronavirus pandemic.
Who testified at the hearing?
The witnesses included Steve McGough (American Road and Transportation Builders Association), Doug Holtz-Eakin (American Action Forum), and Greg Fischer (Mayor of Louisville, Kentucky).

Why It Matters

This serves as a formal record of legislative discussions regarding potential federal infrastructure spending, which directly impacts national transportation funding, construction employment, and the timeline for economic recovery efforts.

News Coverage

No news coverage found yet. Articles are indexed twice daily.

Lobbying Activity

AARP

$4,110,000

2026

HEALTH ISSUESMEDICARE/MEDICAIDLAW ENFORCEMENT/CRIME/CRIMINAL JUSTICEPHARMACY

P.L. 119-21, One Big Beautiful Bill Act H.R. 8867, Planning for Long-term Aging Needs (PLAN) Act H.R. 5861, Legacy Act of 2025 H.R. 9393, the Lower Costs, More Transparency Act. H.R. 9396, the Prior Authorization Accountability Act. S. 4916, the Aging with Artificial Intelligence Act. H.R. 8100, Safe Staffing Saves Lives Act. S. 3886, Nurses Belong in Nursing Homes Act. H.R. 6766/S. 3492, the Essential Caregivers Act of 2025. H.R. 7966/S. 4118, Hospice Care Accountability, Reform, and Enforcement (Hospice CARE) Act. S. 2120, the Older Americans Act Reauthorization Act of 2025 H.R. 5575, the Firefighters Assisting Seniors to Emergency Response (FASTER) Act of 2025. H.R. 3954/S. 4641, Improving Access to Medicare Coverage Act. H.R.5554/S.2831, Stand Strong for Medicare Act. S. 3439/H.R. 6735, Connecting Caregivers to Medicare Act and efforts related to the bill S. 1227/H.R. 2491, Alleviating Barriers for Caregivers Act S. 668/H.R. 3183, Supporting Access to Falls Education and Prevention and Strengthening Training Efforts and Promoting Safety Initiatives (SAFE STEPS) for Veterans Act of 2025 CMS-1851-P, Hospice Proposed rule. CMS-1843-P, Skilled Nursing Facility Proposed rule. CMS-1844-P, Home Health Proposed rule. No bill number. Health care transparency. No bill number. Discussed use of artificial intelligence and health data technology. No bill number. Discussed health-related policies and activities around the fall respiratory virus season. No bill number. Discussed health insurance affordability proposals. No bill number. Discussed Nursing Home staffing standards, safety, and quality. No bill number. Discussed Nursing home transparency and ownership requirements. No bill number. Discussed home health, hospice, and long-term care. No bill number. Discussed falls prevention. No bill number. Discussed social isolation. No bill number. Discussed HUD Assisted Living Requirements No bill number. Discussed family caregiving. No bill number. Discussed AARP paper on Medicare Caregiver Training Services. No bill number. Discussed Medicaid community engagement interim final rule, including the family caregiver exemption. No bill number. Discussed the paid direct care workforce in long-term care. No bill number. Discussed the unaffordability of long-term care. No bill number. Discussed Money Follows the Person Rebalancing Demonstration Program and Medicaid HCBS spousal impoverishment protections. No bill number. Discussed Medicaid fraud and family caregivers, Medicaid self-direction programs. No bill number. Discussed sandwich generation family caregiver hearing and submitted a statement for the record discussing family caregivers and sandwich generation caregivers, programs that support them, AARP caregiving resources, and federal policies to support sandwich generation caregivers and caregivers more broadly. No bill number. Discussed long-term care. No bill number. CMS-2453-NC; Medicaid Program; 2028 Medicaid Home and Community-Based Services Quality Measure Set Submitted comments No bill number. Discussed expanding access to home care. No bill number. Discussed the increasing cost of home care No bill number. Discussed HSA use for telehealth chronic care management services/subscriptions. No bill number. Discussed artificial intelligence and technology

Sponsors

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Discoveries

Patterns POLISCOPE noticed across the record. These are observations to investigate, not conclusions.

policy shift90% confidence

Infrastructure as Pandemic Recovery

The document highlights a specific pivot in 2020 to frame traditional infrastructure spending as a direct economic stimulus for pandemic-related recession recovery.

Connected Entities

organizationStandard and Poor'sCited for economic data regarding infrastructure investmentMap →
personJohn BarrassoChairman of the Committee on Environment and Public WorksMap →
personGeorge FloydReferenced in opening remarks regarding national unrestMap →
personSteve McGoughWitness, Chairman of the American Road and Transportation Builders AssociationMap →
personGreg FischerWitness, Mayor of Louisville, KentuckyMap →
personDoug Holtz-EakinWitness, President of the American Action ForumMap →
personThomas R. CarperRanking Member of the CommitteeMap →

Sources

Open source document

www.govinfo.gov

Analysis Score

0–100
  • Significance60
    How much this matters to a regular citizen
  • Controversy20
    Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
  • Entertainment10
    Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
  • Buzz15
    Current news / social attention level

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