On the recordSeptember 13, 2011
I thank the chairman for yielding. I am pleased to speak in favor of this bipartisan, bicameral deal to extend the two important transportation programs at current funding levels. The 4-month extension of FAA programs will allow us enough time to iron out the final details of a long-term reauthorization. As a pilot myself, I know firsthand the benefits and efficiencies this will bring to our airports and airways as well as to our out-of-date air traffic control system. I am particularly pleased to be extending the highway and transit program for 6 months in order to ensure we have adequate time to pass the chairman and the committee's long-term plan. New York and the country need long-term certainty and a steady stream of funding. We have spent too much time focusing on so-called ``shovel ready'' projects with little or no lasting economic or employment benefits. I look forward to working over the next 6 months to pass a long-term reauthorization that will empower States to take on major projects, including bridge replacements, highway interchange improvements, and investments in our Nation's transit systems, as well as those in upstate New York. These are the types of projects that have the potential to provide jobs for years to come and to grow our economy in the long term.
