Nancy Pelosi announces $19 billion for infrastructure in Florida

Over the weekend, US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi visited the Delray Beach George Bush Boulevard Bridge in Florida to announce the $19 billion investment in the state’s infrastructure. The investment in the state’s infrastructure was made through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.

Pelosi announced that $19 billion from the historic law would be used for Florida’s infrastructure during her visit to the bridge over the weekend. The top House Democrat was joined by Rep. Lois Frankel, Palm Beach County Mayor Robert Weinroth, and Delray Beach County Mayor Shelly Petrolia.

Pelosi noted that the money that would be brought to the state would help prevent any inconveniences, such as the situation at the bridge, from happening again. To note, the George Bush Boulevard Bridge has been stuck open since early this month. Only boat traffic is allowed for at least six weeks.

The top House Democrat also stressed that the law is already funded and the importance of the money being allocated at a local level because there is more that needs to be repaired in terms of infrastructure. Weinroth said that the bridge study alone would cost $1 million.

“The most expensive maintenance is no maintenance. We see that here,” said Pelosi. “Sometimes we don’t have all the information we need because we don’t have all the money we need to check on our infrastructure to make sure that it is – and I’ll use this word again and again – safe. This is about safety. This is about commerce.”

Thursday last week, Pelosi doubled down on her opposition to the notion of sending US or NATO forces into Ukraine to help deter airstrikes coming from Russia. This comes as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has repeatedly requested Western intervention in the ongoing conflict in Ukraine due to Russian dictator Vladimir Putin’s invasion.

US President Joe Biden and other Western leaders have rejected the idea, with Biden warning that it would put the US and NATO troops squarely against Russian forces, leading to a third world war.

“They are all united with how we go forward. And how they are unified in how we go forward is that we are not going into Ukraine,” said Pelosi, who added that the ongoing conflict is not an “Article 5 situation” as Ukraine is not a NATO member country.