Jerry Nadler: “I would rather be standing here today supporting a $375 billion transportation bill. $375 billion is what the U.S.…”

“I would rather be standing here today supporting a $375 billion transportation bill. $375 billion is what the U.S. Department of Transportation has said is necessary to meet our most basic infrastructure needs over the next 6 years. Unfortunately, the President insists that we not fund our transportation system adequately and that we not fund the hundreds of thousands of jobs that such a bill would create, but we must do what we can, and despite the funding constraints, there are many things to be proud of in the bill before us. The committee has done a remarkable job of preserving many of the important new initiatives in TEA LU, such as safe routes to school, freight intermodal connectors and, in particular, projects of national and regional significance. At the same time, we have maintained our core highway and transit programs and increased funding for critical initiatives such as senior transportation services and the ferry boat discretionary program.”