Reliable Federal Infrastructure Act

Floor Speech

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Mr. LANGWORTHY. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of my bill, H.R. 4690, the Reliable Federal Infrastructure Act, a commonsense measure that pushes back on the failed Green New Deal and puts reliability, affordability, and common sense back in the driver's seat.

My bill repeals section 433 of the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007, which would eliminate the use of onsite, fossil fuel- generated electricity for Federal buildings by 2030.

Without repeal, section 433 would put the United States on a dangerous path of dependence on intermittent energy resources, like wind and solar, supported by battery storage, and dependent on supply chains for critical minerals that often run through China.

Under past Democratic administrations, Washington has aligned itself with the most extreme elements of the environmental movement, advancing impractical regulations that hurt hardworking Americans and sidelining the reliable, affordable systems that they depend on every single day.

Mr. Speaker, we have all seen where this leads. My home State of New York has embraced this same approach, pursuing policies that target reliable fuels and the infrastructure that supports them. The result is higher costs, tighter energy supply, and real concerns about whether the system can hold up when the demand is at the absolute highest. It is exactly what we can't afford to replicate on the Federal level.

Think about the facilities impacted by these zero-emissions building policies under section 433: VA hospitals, where our veterans receive lifesaving care, our military installations that underpin our national defense, research labs, and emergency operations centers.

In western New York, home of the Bath and the Buffalo VA facilities, winters are very unforgiving. We cannot afford policies that risk leaving our veterans, who served this country, sitting in cold buildings because Washington decided that ideology matters more than reliability.

These facilities cannot afford ``hope for the best.'' They need systems that work 24/7 in any condition, at any time. Yet, instead of prioritizing that reliability, Democrats continue down a path that asks taxpayers to pay more for less, pushing policies that check political boxes but fail to deliver in the real world.

The Reliable Federal Infrastructure Act ends that. It restores common sense. It puts decisions back in the hands of real professionals, and it ensures that Federal buildings are powered by what works, not what is politically fashionable for the moment.

Mr. Speaker, reliability matters. Affordability matters. Common sense matters. This bill restores all three. I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 4690.

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