Johnson, Parker Among North Texas Mayors to Sign Letter Supporting Infrastructure Bill

Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson and Fort Worth Mayor Mattie Parker were among several North Texas mayors who showed their support for a bipartisan infrastructure package in a letter sent to both U.S. Senate and House of Representatives leaders.

Arlington Mayor Jim Ross, Denton Mayor Gerard Hudspeth, DeSoto Mayor Rachel Proctor and Plano Mayor John Muns also signed the letter from the United States Conference of Mayors, which urged immediate action on the Bipartisan Infrastructure Framework.

"This framework would be the largest long-term investment in our nation’s infrastructure and competitiveness in nearly a century – $1.2 trillion over eight years – to help make our economy more sustainable, resilient, and just," the letter says.

The Bipartisan Infrastructure Framework referenced in the letter would cost about $1.2 trillion over eight years. The potential price tag on Biden's total infrastructure package reached over $3.5 trillion after he met with senators Monday.

According to a White House fact sheet, the American Society of Civil Engineers gave Texas a C- on its infrastructure report card.

In the letter, the coalition of mayors nationwide urged for two points while the details of the package are developed:

• No funding previously signed into law be repurposed or redirected to help pay for new investments in infrastructure
• Empowering local decision-makers and committing to more localism by investing through existing systems like the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grants, Community Development Block Grants and Surface Transportation Block Grants

Other Texas mayors who signed the letter include Austin Mayor Steve Adler, Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner and San Antonio Mayor Ron Nirenberg.