On the recordNovember 4, 2015
I was proud to join my Ways and Means Committee colleague, my counterpart--Mr. Renacci of Ohio--along with several other Members, in submitting to the Rules Committee a modified version of our bipartisan bill to provide long-term, sustainable funding for our highways and bridges, which this bill does not do. Our proposal would have used the next 3 paid-for years to set up a task force to devise a plan to fund the remaining years of the bill. Continuity can ensure that construction projects and the jobs they provide don't come to a grinding halt when Congress fails to act. The fact that our bipartisan amendment to save the highway trust fund was shut out from floor consideration but that the devolution crowd gets a vote on their plan to dismantle the fund speaks volumes about how this leadership views the concept of an open process and regular order, to say nothing of the place for compromise and bipartisan solutions. Look, we have a diverse coalition of colleagues who is cosponsoring our plan. We have support from a broad coalition of business, labor, construction, engineering, and transit advocates. Let's be frank. Be it under Democratic or Republican control, this body has been loath to make the tough decisions needed on the issue of transportation funding. It is a disgrace that our bipartisan team was not given the chance to put the trust back into the trust fund. I urge my colleagues to send a message by opposing this bill.
