Political Quotes

“Mr. President, I rise to speak in favor of the Jones amendment No. 1141, cosponsored by Senator McSally of Arizona. I want to thank the Senator from Alabama for filing this important amendment to preserve transit funding at the levels authorized by Congress under the FAST Act. Without this amendment, transit agencies across the country will face a 12-percent cut. A cut of this magnitude would be devastating, particularly for smaller agencies that rely on Federal funding to meet their annual operating expenses and to carry out necessary maintenance. Without this funding, communities would be forced to scale back capital projects and bus acquisitions, and reduce services, eliminating a major mobility option for many of our constituents, including seniors and persons with disabilities. At a time when the transit industry faces a $90 billion state of good repair backlog, we should be increasing transit investments in order to preserve these critical transportation systems. These cuts would reverse the progress we have made over the last 2 years due to the budget agreement that allowed for desperately needed investments in infrastructure. We must prevent any degradation of funding for our transit systems and instead help these agencies modernize their fleets. This amendment is supported by over 63 associations, including the National League of Cities, the U.S. Conference of Mayors, and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. Mr.…”