; and programs connecting seniors to their communities. (3) Any effort to rebuild our nation’s crumbling infrastructure must include robust federal funding. Privatizing our nation’s infrastructure revitalization would shift the burden to cash-strapped states and cities while leaving out communities with the greatest need: rural and low-income populations. Additionally, states and cities are less likely to take a regional approach to investment, which is critical to ensuring national connectivity. Public-private partnerships (P3s) have limited success funding infrastructure projects. They are more expensive than conventional funding, often limiting competition and creating potential conflicts of interest. P3s would likely only consider projects that can provide a return on investment, as opposed to the broad infrastructure modernization this country desperately needs. Ultimately, private infrastructure investment would only fund a narrow scope of projects and the limited projects fortunate enough to attract private funding would tax the very people they are intended to benefit through tolls and user fees. (4) Ensuring long-term investment is equally important to ensuring that investment is backed by robust public funding. Delivering reliable infrastructure requires the certainty and confidence that can only come with long-term funding. Congress needs to do away with short-term extensions and provide long-term authorization and spending measures that will authorize and fund our nation’s highway, public transit, aviation, and water infrastructure programs and projects at levels that are meaningful over the long-term. (5) Minority contractors should have the opportunity to rebuild their communities and employ hardworking Americans along the way. Infrastructure investments should be disseminated through a transparent procurement process with aggressive contracting goals for Disadvantaged Business Entities and effective enforcement to root out fraudulent firms. Contractors and subcontractors should have the ability to