**The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act is estimated to create nearly 20 million jobs over the next decade and provide $100 million in funding for rural broadband deployment in New Hampshire**

**Tonight, the House of Representatives is also voting on the rule for the Build Back Better Act**

**Commerce Secretary Raimondo praises Kuster’s commitment to improving New Hampshire infrastructure**

Washington, D.C. — Today, Rep. Annie Kuster (NH-02), voted in favor of the updated H.R. 3684, the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, comprehensive, bipartisan legislation to rebuild America’s infrastructure and deliver historic investments in rural communities that will create good-paying jobs and deploy broadband to underserved areas in New Hampshire. This bipartisan legislation is now headed to President Biden’s desk for signature.

“This is a historic day for our country and represents a milestone in our efforts to invest in the future of American families, our economy, and communities in New Hampshire and throughout the United States,” said Rep. Kuster. “From bolstering broadband access to repairing our roads and bridges, this bipartisan legislation comes at a critical time for America’s infrastructure. I’m proud to deliver key priorities for New Hampshire, and I look forward to President Biden signing this legislation into law to keep our country’s infrastructure competitive, create millions of jobs, and support hardworking families.”

“I want to thank Representative Kuster for her hard work passing the bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act,” said Gina M. Raimondo, U.S. Secretary of Commerce. “For too long we’ve neglected investments in critical areas that directly impact American workers, American businesses and American families. One of the many historic investments in this bill is the effort to bridge the digital divide and ensure all Americans have access to reliable, affordable broadband. Broadband is not a luxury, it’s a necessity. Thanks to President Biden’s vision and the Congresswoman’s tireless effort to get this passed, we can now bring affordable broadband to every community in New Hampshire.”

This legislation will bring much-needed funding to New Hampshire to:

• Repair Roads and Bridges: $1.1 billion in federal highway funds and $225 million for bridge repairs to keep our critical infrastructure safe.  
• Broaden Access to Commuter Rail: $66 billion for federal rail investments. This funding will help improve the existing Amtrak service in New Hampshire and provide the state with additional federal resources to build the Capitol Corridor Project.
• The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act provides $250 million to cover credit risk premiums for Railroad Rehabilitation Improvement Financing (RRIF) loans. This will make it more affordable for states like New Hampshire to use RRIF as a source of funding for passenger rail projects and was inspired by Rep. Kuster’s bipartisan Invest in American Railroad Act. 
• Deliver on Broadband Expansion: $100 million to expand broadband coverage around the state to help Granite Staters stay connected.
• Deliver Clean Drinking Water: New Hampshire is expected to receive $418 million over the next five years to improve water infrastructure across the state. With some municipalities operating with water infrastructure over 100 years old, this historic investment will deliver important resources to New Hampshire communities in need. 
• Lower Energy Costs for Families: This bipartisan legislation invests $3.5 billion nationally into the Weatherization Assistance Program (WAP), which lowers home energy costs for lower-income families in New Hampshire.
• Reimagine Our Nation’s Dams: $2.4 billion federal investment in rehabilitating, retrofitting, and removing dams to improve dam safety, increase hydropower production to reduce carbon emissions, and remove dams to enhance the health of river ecosystems.
• Many of the dam investments are based on Rep. Kuster’s bipartisan Twenty-First Century Dams Act. 
• Address Climate Change: $65 billion to modernize our electric grid for a clean electricity future, $7.5 billion to build out a national network of electric vehicle charging infrastructure to help us decarbonize the transportation sector, $4.7 billion to reduce methane emissions by plugging old oil wells, and $3.5 billion to advance direct air capture technology to remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.  

Rep. Kuster is a leading voice in Congress to bolster our nation’s infrastructure and bring innovative new approaches to our roads, bridges, and highways. A member of the House Rural Broadband Task Force and Energy and Commerce Committee, Rep. Kuster is a vocal advocate in Congress to expand access to high-speed broadband for rural communities in New Hampshire and across the country. This year, Kuster helped introduce H.R. 1783, the Accessible, Affordable Internet for All Act, which authorizes over $94 billion to ensure unserved and underserved communities have affordable high-speed internet access. 

Rep. Kuster has also been a persistent advocate to expand passenger rail across the country. Earlier this year, she introduced the Invest In American Railroads Act, bipartisan legislation which would help unlock $27 billion in Railroad Rehabilitation Improvement Financing loans for passenger rail investments, like the Capitol Corridor Project, around the country. 

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