Statement of Congressman Wittman on House Democrats' My Way or the Highway Bill

Statement

WASHINGTON, D.C- Today, Congressman Rob Wittman (VA-01) released the following statement after voting against H.R. 3684, the so-called INVEST in America Act:

"Virginia's First Congressional District is home to one of the worst traffic hotspots in the nation. As a daily commuter myself, I understand the burden traffic places upon Virginia's families and business. As I commute to and from the small town of Montross in Virginia's Northern Neck, I see all too well the declining roads and bridges upon which rural communities are forced to rely. Repairing America's roads and bridges should garner bipartisan support and cooperation.

"But it seems the Majority has declared that it's their way or the highway. House Democrats have once again abandoned bipartisan infrastructure negotiations in favor of a partisan product that is nothing more than a messaging exercise. Instead of allowing states the flexibility they need to implement these programs, they would mandate a big-government, top-down approach. And instead of making sound, fiscally responsible reforms, they would allow these projects to languish beneath bureaucratic red tape.

"Worse still, The Majority's "My Way or the Highway" Bill spends $1 out of every $2 on misguided Green New Deal style priorities, doubling down on the same mandates, restrictive policies, and costly diversions which led to last year's failure to provide long-term investments in America's roads and bridges. The Majority's bill further fails to streamline the project review process and favors urban Americans over our rural communities that already struggle to compete with urban areas in programs preferred under this bill, such as transit and rail. For example, a program to build electric charging stations that will largely benefit wealthy, urban areas would receive $4 billion compared to the Rebuild Rural grant program, which only receives $1 billion.

"There is still much left to do to improve American infrastructure and get our economy moving again. That's why I joined the republican led STARTER Act 2.0 as an original cosponsor. The STARTER Act would provide a historic investment of more than $400 billion in American roads and bridges. As well as reform outdated bureaucratic regulations unnecessarily delaying construction, which would reduce costs, spur our economic recovery and help to rebuild our nation's infrastructure. I remain committed to responsible, fiscally-sound solutions to our nation's infrastructure issues."

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