FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) — Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear said the massive amounts of federal aid offered during the coronavirus pandemic offer a once-in-a-generation opportunity to guarantee basic necessities and build on economic momentum.

Beshear said those real-life benefits should trump the partisan rancor over pandemic relief. The Democratic governor spoke to The Associated Press on Monday in an interview conducted over Zoom.

Beshear recounted meeting Kentuckians who for the first time will have access to clean drinking water from their home taps, thanks to projects backed by federal assistance.

He says wastewater projects funded by the assistance will attract companies, while homes blacked out from the internet will someday tap into wireless service thanks to federal help.