On the recordMay 19, 2015
For months we have been calling for a long- term surface transportation bill to replace the one that expires at the end of this month. In recent weeks, I have joined many of my colleagues as we counted down the days left for Congress to act. Without a funding solution, the jobs of over 600,000 American workers are at risk. The gas tax, by the way, hasn't been raised in 20 years and is no longer sufficient to pay for repairs to dangerous roads, highways, bridges, and rail lines needed to protect Americans. We are being asked to vote this week on a bandaid approach that only runs to July instead of a real solution to this infrastructure crisis. This is often what happens here, but it is not the best way to govern. States and local transit agencies need this certainty that long-term funding will be available as they make important decisions about construction projects to meet our needs well into the future. Let's pass a long-term transportation bill now. ____________________
