Roy Blunt: “I wish to speak on the amendment I have offered with my friend, Senator Casey from Pennsylvania, on the highway bill…”

“I wish to speak on the amendment I have offered with my friend, Senator Casey from Pennsylvania, on the highway bill, amendment No. 1540. In my State, and I think in the whole country, the question we hear over and over again is: Where are the private sector jobs? What can we do to get the economy back on track? There are very few places the Federal Government can create private sector jobs. One of the few places we can do that is in public works, such as the highway bill, where most of the work to build a new bridge or a new highway is done by competitive bid and by private sector employers and private sector employees. While we probably take a different approach to how we get there, I think all of us understand it is critical we work together to find common ground to create jobs and to create economic growth. This infrastructure bill could be--and I hope it turns out to be--a good start. There is no doubt that infrastructure is the foundation of our economy. Quality transportation is vital to connect people and communities, to connect people to the places they work, to connect the products they make to the places they need to go. That doesn't happen without a good infrastructure program and one that maintains and expands as needs to be the infrastructure that we have. I am very hopeful this bill can provide that additional element to getting our economy back on track.…”