By Rep. Jeff Denham, R-Turlock, and Rep. Bill Shuster, R-Pa. Our nation's infrastructure has rarely received such attention as it has over the last year. The administration should be credited for helping to raise the profile of infrastructure, while taking direct steps to expedite the completion of projects. Time is money, and the longer it takes to bring infrastructure improvements on line, the higher the costs will escalate on taxpayer-funded projects. As leaders of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, we have worked to develop and pass important legislation to improve infrastructure because it's vital to the lives of the people we represent in many ways. As the political discussion about infrastructure legislation continues to develop, our committee is moving ahead with its work. In April, for example, the House overwhelmingly approved our committee's FAA and aviation infrastructure bill by a vote of 393 to 13. As we wait for the Senate to act on that measure, we've turned to improving our water resources infrastructure. Our ports, dams, levees, inland waterways, storage facilities and flood protection systems serve as the arteries of American commerce, protecting communities and moving goods from the coasts to every point throughout the nation's interior. Efficient water transportation also allows our farmers and businesses to be competitive by connecting them and their goods, resources, and food to the rest of the world. For example, the farms and economy of California's Central Valley depend on this infrastructure to deliver billions of dollars worth of fruits, vegetables and nuts to customers all over the globe. Ports like the inland hub of the Port of Stockton bring this bounty to the world, but without efficient navigation channels, shipping costs would skyrocket, suppressing the economy and damaging the region's competitiveness as an international agricultural center. To regularly consider and authorize U.S. Army Corps of Engineers projects like the Lower San Joaquin River flood damage reduction project and carry out water resources infrastructure improvements across the country, our committee takes up legislation known as the Water Resources Development Act. In 2014 and 2016, we ensured that this legislation was signed into law; the House has now approved the next WRDA measure, which we sponsored. Many projects undertaken by the Corps are paid for by a minimal 0.125 percent fee on commercial cargo, which goes into the Harbor Maintenance Trust Fund and is dedicated to the upkeep of the nation's navigable harbors, like the Port of Oakland and the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach. In WRDA 2014, our committee set goals for allocating Harbor Maintenance Trust Fund dollars to their intended purpose of responsibly maintaining safe, efficient navigation channels. As a result, Congress has increased its investment in our waterways, and WRDA 2018 continues that approach. In the long term, this approach will save millions of dollars and improve the efficiency of moving goods. This matters to us all, because regardless of where we live, most products we use every day reach us via a port or along the 25,000 miles of our navigable waterways. We will continue to work to achieve full utilization of the Harbor Maintenance Trust Fund. We should also explore improving other existing programs, like the Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act. We authorized WIFIA in 2014 to leverage federal dollars with state and local cost shares for clean and drinking water projects. Now, the Corps is pursuing the benefits of the program. Furthermore, Congress should consider the merits of Bureau of Reclamation financing to increase water storage in western states. In addition to improving our critical waterborne transportation system, another of the Corps' missions is maintaining the infrastructure that protects American communities from flooding. The importance of this mission is well known to the residents of the Central Valley and was recently emphasized further by the devastating natural disasters throughout the country in 2017. The Corps operates and maintains approximately 700 dams in the United States, and more than 14,000 miles of levees are in the Corps' Levee Safety Program, infrastructure that protects millions of Americans and over a trillion dollars' worth of property. The 2014 and 2016 WRDA laws authorized flood risk management improvements around the country, because every dollar invested in flood protection provides $8 in economic benefit. WRDA 2018 continues to protect American communities and infrastructure from the threat of flood by investing in improvements like the Lower San Joaquin River flood damage reduction project. There are many other examples of why WRDA works -- for Californians, Pennsylvanians, and all of America. We look forward to working with the Senate to send WRDA and other infrastructure legislation to the president's desk.

By Jeff Denham Last year during Infrastructure Week, I penned an op-ed on the state of our infrastructure and the responsibility of Congress to upgrade our transportation systems to the 21st Century. We were just over 100 days into a new administration that had made infrastructure a top campaign issue. The American Infrastructure Report Card for 2017 was a D+. Stakes were high. This year, stakes remain the same. Our infrastructure is still in dire need of enhancement, and goods and people continue to move over and through our roads, rails, waterways, and skies at all-time highs. The indefinite role of the federal government to facilitate interstate commerce has not diminished, and the president's $1 trillion-plus pledge still remains. For these reasons, I continue to be optimistic that Congress will get this done. My top priority is creating an environment to build big things and sustain projects and programs that will last far beyond my lifetime. The path and vehicle to a $1 trillion-plus investment might not look as we originally pictured, but the topline investment is what matters. For example, Congress made a $20 billion down payment in the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2018 dedicated to transportation over the next two years. We made good on that promise in the omnibus spending bill, dedicating over $10 billion. The investment includes a $1 billion increase in BUILD grants, over $3.5 billion to highways, over $3 billion for rail including $250 million for State of Good Repair, $1.4 billion for water infrastructure, and over $1 billion for discretionary airport grants. These will yield significant improvements across all modes, and we stand poised to double down in fiscal year 2019. Creating a streamlined regulatory structure to deliver projects faster will leverage these dollars into more roads and deeper harbors. The administration has proposed a One Federal Decision environmental review and approval policy, which would significantly reduce the process from 10 years to two. The framework for this reform was introduced in February, and Congress has an opportunity to make it a reality. This policy does not require revenue and should be considered in upcoming infrastructure legislation. In conjunction with regulatory streamlining, we must utilize emerging technologies to keep pace with innovation. We have seen companies like Uber transform the landscape, and the federal government must provide enough guidance so industry has the certainty to invest while understanding that over-regulation restricts innovation. Safety is and always will be the top priority in this space, which is why the U.S. Department of Transportation is preparing its third iteration of autonomous vehicle guidance. Ensuring that the manufacturers have the tools they need, and that those tools are up to date and evolving with technology, is essential to a 21st Century system. Next up for the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure is the Water Resources and Development Act (WRDA). This important legislation authorizes harbor deepening, lock and dam, water storage, and supply projects. The legislation is an opportunity to make operational reforms for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Bureau of Reclamation. This year, we have an opportunity to expand the Water Infrastructure Financing Act (WIFIA) to include reclamation projects that include water storage in the Central Valley of California. The proposal encourages private investment in systems that serve the public interest by providing low-interest, government-backed loans with a long repayment period. The WIFIA program just recently approved its first loan, and the benefits are evident. Expanding to water supply projects is an opportunity that the administration supports and Congress must achieve. Overall, we have made progress and shown a commitment to infrastructure this year. We still have a number of pending items to accomplish like the Federal Aviation Authorization, the next $10 billion investment for fiscal year 2019, WRDA, and a whole host of policy reforms including the Infrastructure Principles. These items significantly move the ball forward and represent a down payment towards the president's $1 trillion-plus promise. We must address the nation's crumbling infrastructure, and the time to act is now.

By Jeff Denham Valley residents are taxed too much, the United States is falling behind other countries competitively, we continue to lose American jobs overseas, and we are over $20 trillion in debt. Last week, the House took a big step toward addressing these issues by introducing a tax reform bill that will reduce the tax burden of individuals and families in all tax brackets, make our businesses more competitive, and grow our economy. If passed and signed into law this year, this bill will provide much-needed tax relief for Americans starting January 1. These are bold predictions, and The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act will achieve these goals by cutting rates, removing loopholes and special interest tax credits, bringing overseas profits of American companies back to our shores, and encouraging business investment in our communities. Under this plan, the typical American family of four will see a tax cut of $1,182. With the holidays upon us, that extra money would go a long way toward providing gifts for your loved ones, new coats and shoes for rapidly-growing children, paying off a bill, taking a family vacation, or just saving for a rainy day. As a hard-working taxpayer in the Central Valley, you deserve more money in your pocket, less time and money spent navigating our burdensome tax code, more job opportunities, and the ability to save for college or invest in your retirement. About 70 percent of the people I represent claim the standard deduction -- a number that rises to about 95 percent after the standard deduction is doubled. This means the first $12,000 per year an individual earns (up from $6,350) and the first $24,000 per year a family earns (up from $12,700) is tax-free. If you are among the 5 percent who will continue to itemize, your tax rate will be cut significantly, and the repeal of the Alternative Minimum Tax will further lessen your tax burden. For the first time in years, businesses of all sizes will be able to make new hires and investments, and those who have considered opening a small business will finally find the American Dream within reach. Small business rates will be cut to no more than 25 percent-- the lowest tax rate on small businesses since World War II -- which will allow businesses and jobs to stay in the Central Valley. We've also seen U.S. companies move operations to the United Kingdom, where the tax rate is 19 percent, or Sweden, where the tax rate is 22 percent, simply to remain competitive. This plan provides incentives for those employers to bring back those American jobs. For those who have left our dire job market, there will finally be more employment opportunities. The proof is in the stock market where, over the past six months, we've seen historic highs in anticipation of this tax plan. The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act presents the first opportunity in three decades to create a fairer, simpler tax code that lowers rates, promotes real economic growth, creates jobs, and puts more money in workers' pockets at the same time. I am encouraged by this proposal before us, and I invite you to read it and contact my office with your comments for consideration as we move forward in this process. -- Congressman Jeff Denham represents California's 10th congressional district, which includes Stanislaus County and a portion of San Joaquin County. He is the chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Subcommittee on Railroads, Pipelines and Hazardous Materials and also serves on the House Committees on Agriculture and Natural Resources.