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AED Alert: VP of Political Action Stowers Makes the Case for Infrastructure Investment

On Friday, February 9, AED’s newly appointed Vice President of Political Action, Wes Stowers (CEO of Stowers Machinery), participated in an infrastructure panel discussion at the Newseum in Washington, D.C. The event was hosted by the Association of Equipment Manufacturers (AEM) and No Labels, an organization dedicated to bringing together both political parties to solve the nation’s biggest issues in a non-partisan manner.

In addition to Stowers, panelists included representatives from Volvo Construction Equipment, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the American Road & Transportation Builders Association. Covered on C-Span, the town hall discussion featured Republican and Democrat members of Congress and U.S. business leaders, exploring the prospects for movement on a long-term, comprehensive infrastructure bill in the 116th Congress.

Stowers emphasized the need for infrastructure funding certainty, saying, “It’s irresponsible if we aren’t able to fund long-term projects with long-term money.” Regarding Congress’ failure to act to provide for substantial and sustainable infrastructure investments, Stowers said, “It has safety impacts, quality of life impacts and certainly it’s critical for the continued success of our economy. Infrastructure is one of the most competitive advantages the United States has worldwide. But, other countries are improving and modernizing their infrastructure and we’ve got catching up to do.”

Immediately preceding the stakeholder panel, lawmakers from the Problem Solvers Caucus, including Reps. John Katko (R-N.Y.), Kurt Schroeder (D-Ore.) and Jim Costa (D-Cal.), discussed the prospects for infrastructure legislation in 2019. All agreed that Democrats and Republicans should work together to do what’s necessary to address America’s crumbling infrastructure during the 116th congressional session.

To view the stakeholder panel discussion visit: https://www.c-span.org/video/?457708-3/infrastructure-town-hall-discussion-industry-stakeholders

To view the lawmaker panel discussion visit: https://www.c-span.org/video/?457708-2/infrastructure-town-hall-discussion-house-members

Be sure to register today for the 2019 AED Washington Fly-In, June 11-13, on Capitol Hill, where infrastructure investment will top the agenda. Gain valuable political intelligence from leading lawmakers and administration officials and advocate on behalf of your company and the industry. AED will schedule meetings with your House and Senate representatives. Just show up ready to learn and have fun!