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For Immediate Release
Contact: Email:,info(at)fwwatch(dot)org,Seth Gladstone -,sgladstone@fwwatch.org

Statement by Wenonah Hauter, Executive Director, Food & Water Watch

WASHINGTON

In response to news that Nancy Pelosi, Chuck Schumer and Donald Trump recently met to discuss a $2 trillion infrastructure plan, Food & Water Watch released the following statement from executive director Wenonah Hauter:

"Any infrastructure deal must have water as a top-line priority. It must include robust federal funding for our public water systems and must not privatize our critical water infrastructure.

"We have legislation that would provide the funding we need: The Water Affordability, Transparency, Equity and Reliability (WATER) Act. It would provide the necessary $35 billion a year to fund our public water systems. This funding has been lagging for several decades, and ratepayers will increasingly bear the brunt of the costs associated with providing clean water if we don't bridge the gap.

"This funding to upgrade our infrastructure would help make our water systems climate resilient and are a part of a fair and just transition away from fossil fuels. Fully funding our water systems would provide nearly 1 million jobs.

"We encourage Rep. Pelosi and Senator Schumer to support the WATER Act as a key pillar of their infrastructure plans."

Food & Water Watch mobilizes regular people to build political power to move bold and uncompromised solutions to the most pressing food, water, and climate problems of our time. We work to protect people's health, communities, and democracy from the growing destructive power of the most powerful economic interests.

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