Dear Friends,The heat in Portland this week was so extreme that it actually melted power cables on our streetcar. It was another striking example of the threat of the climate crisis to our daily lives – and why rebuilding and renewing America is more important now than ever.Today, the House voted to make long overdue investments in our roads, bridges, transit, rail, and water infrastructure.The bill, called the INVEST in America Act, is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to create policy for the 21st Century, rather than sticking with the status quo.The legislation incentives fixing roads first, rather than adding more lane miles. It would make streets safer thanks to the inclusion of my Vision Zero legislation, while making historic investments in public transportation, Amtrak, and high-speed rail. And it includes my bill to provide federal funding to local bikeshare programs.Most important, our infrastructure proposal bakes in climate action and equity throughout so that we can halt, reverse, mitigate, and prepare for the worst consequences of the climate crisis.I’m especially encouraged by a newly created program that would provide federal funding for projects, like Albina Vision, to reconnect communities that have been negatively impacted by past transportation decisions.Our legislation would also dedicate millions to help make streets safer, including on 181st Avenue in Gresham and 82nd Avenue in Portland. And, the legislation would provide funds to help TriMet transition to a zero emission bus fleet. This is an unprecedented opportunity to rebuild and renew America. Today's vote was a critical step and if we all do our part, we can make it a reality. It would be the most consequential infrastructure package in our nation’s history.