Candidate Forum at UNLV on Feb. 16, 2020, 2 PM PT, will be moderated by The Wall Street Journal’s Jerry Seib and Jeanne Cummings, broadcast and livestreamed by C-SPAN
LAS VEGAS, Nev. Today, the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) and other hosts of Moving America Forward: A Presidential Candidate Forum on Infrastructure, Jobs, and Building a Better America announced the lineup of Sunday’s candidate forum at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV). Former Vice President Joe Biden, former Mayor Pete Buttigieg, U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar and businessman Tom Steyer are slated to each to take the stage for a conversation moderated by Wall Street Journal Executive Washington Editor Jerry Seib and Deputy Washington Bureau Chief Jeanne Cummings. The forum will be broadcast live on television by C-SPAN and livestreamed on cspan.org and on infrastructureforum.org from 2:00 PM PT (5:00 PM ET) until 5:00 PM PT (8:00 PM ET) on Sunday, February 16.
“Our nation is at a crossroads. Deteriorating infrastructure is not only impeding our ability to compete in a thriving economy, but it is also holding back advances to prepare us for the future,” said Tom Smith, ASCE Executive Director. “In addition, each American family is losing [1]$3,400 in disposable income each year – more than $9 a day – due to poor infrastructure. Modernizing our infrastructure is one of the only areas today where there is bipartisan agreement, and Americans want to hear from the candidates on their ideas to improve our roads and bridges, drinking and wastewater systems, electric grid and more. I look forward to a thoughtful discussion on where we go from here.”
The bipartisan nonprofit group United for Infrastructure has organized the “Moving America Forward” presidential forum as an opportunity for candidates to address the challenges facing American’s roads and transit systems, bridges and railroads, ports and airports and water and wastewater systems— and to lay out their vision for an infrastructure plan that supports a strong economy, job creation, consumer safety and national security. The host committee includes American Society of Civil Engineers; International Union of Operating Engineers; Transportation Trades Department, AFL-CIO; North America’s Building Trades Unions; Transport Workers Union of America; American Public Transportation Association; American Council of Engineering Companies; American Road and Transportation Builders Association; Value of Water Campaign; Association of Equipment Manufacturers; Airports Council International-North America; and Build Together.
The nation’s infrastructure received a “D+” in ASCE’s 2017 Infrastructure Report Card. The Infrastructure presents both an urgent challenge and a singular opportunity for the next presidential administration to address an issue that affects every American. It is also an issue that 90% of Americans believe should be a priority for the next administration. The forum will offer a dynamic conversation on the future of infrastructure, which dictates access to jobs, education and health care. Infrastructure can help alleviate or exacerbate rising inequality and help solve the affordable housing crisis. It impacts how Americans cope with and experience climate change pressures.
The candidate forum will be open to the press. See additional details below.
Where: University of Las Vegas, Nevada
Student Union Center
4505 S Maryland Pkwy, Paradise, NV 89154
When: Sunday, February 16, 2020
Event begins: 2:00 PM PT
Doors for press: 12:00 PM PT
Credentials: Credentials must be requested in advance and cannot be guaranteed for every outlet due to space constraints. Please submit press credential requests to Abigail Gardner at agardner@unitedforinfrastructure.org as soon as possible.
Host Committee: American Society of Civil Engineers; International Union of Operating Engineers; Transportation Trades Department, AFL-CIO; North America’s Building Trades Unions; Transport Workers Union of America; American Public Transportation Association; American Council of Engineering Companies; American Road and Transportation Builders Association; Value of Water Campaign; Association of Equipment Manufacturers; Airports Council International-North America; and Build Together. This event is organized by United for Infrastructure.
More information about the forum and United for Infrastructure is available at https://infrastructureforum.org/
ABOUT THE AMERICAN SOCIETY OF CIVIL ENGINEERS
Founded in 1852, the American Society of Civil Engineers represents more than 150,000 civil engineers worldwide and is America’s oldest national engineering society. ASCE works to raise awareness of the need to maintain and modernize the nation’s infrastructure using sustainable and resilient practices, advocates for increasing and optimizing investment in infrastructure, and improve engineering knowledge and competency. For more information, visit www.asce.org or www.infrastructurereportcard.org and follow us on Twitter, @ASCETweets and @ASCEGovRel.
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[1] Failure to Act: Closing the Infrastructure Investment Gap for America’s Economic Future. (2016) www.asce.org/failuretoact
