OFFICIALS LEGISLATION INTEREST GROUPS PUBLIC STATEMENTS COMMITTEES VETOES

Letter to Mario Diaz-Balart, Chairman of the House Transportation and Housing and Urban Development Subcommittee, and David Price, Ranking Member of the House Transportation and Housing and Urban Development Subcommittee - TIGER Transportation Funding

Letter

By: Bob Brady, Lois Frankel, Ruben Gallego, Chellie Pingree, John Conyers, Jr., Debbie Dingell, Suzanne Bonamici, Charlie Rangel, Joaquin Castro, Eliot Engel, Ami Bera, Jared Huffman, Donna Edwards, Jim Himes, Jackie Speier, John Sarbanes, Albio Sires, Collin Peterson, Emanuel Cleaver II, Cedric Richmond, Stacey Plaskett, Beto O'Rourke, Dan Kildee, Grace Napolitano, Eric Swalwell, Gerry Connolly, Keith Ellison, Ed Perlmutter, Julia Brownley, Marc Veasey, Corrine Brown, Ted Deutch, Ben Luján, Jr., Danny Davis, Marcia Fudge, John Garamendi, Chaka Fattah, Sr., Kyrsten Sinema, John Lewis, Don Beyer, Jr., Tammy Duckworth, David Scott, Gwen Moore, Mike Honda, Alma Adams, Peter Welch, Bobby Scott, Maxine Waters, Dina Titus, Jim McGovern, Janice Hahn, Jan Schakowsky, Scott Peters, Cheri Bustos, Joyce Beatty, Diana DeGette, Carolyn Maloney, Brendan Boyle, Mark Pocan, Jerry Nadler, Mike Thompson, Gene Green, Peter DeFazio, Kathleen Rice, David Cicilline, Bill Keating, Sean Maloney, Chris Van Hollen, Jr., Stephen Lynch, Brian Higgins, Dave Loebsack, Joe Crowley, Mark DeSaulnier, Mike Quigley, Raul Grijalva, Luis Gutiérrez, Rick Nolan, Elijah Cummings, Anna Eshoo, Judy Chu, Frederica Wilson, Terri Sewell, Denny Heck, Al Green, Sheila Jackson Lee, Mike Doyle, Jr., André Carson, Tulsi Gabbard, Elizabeth Esty, Hank Johnson, Jr., Linda Sánchez, Bonnie Watson Coleman, Paul Tonko, Brenda Lawrence, Hakeem Jeffries, Bill Foster, Pedro Pierluisi, Jim Costa, Filemon Vela, Jr., Michelle Lujan Grisham, Louise Slaughter, Loretta Sanchez, Alan Grayson, Yvette Clarke, Nydia Velázquez, Debbie Wasserman Schultz, Tim Walz, Rubén Hinojosa, Sr., Ann Kirkpatrick, Tony Cárdenas, John Delaney, Jared Polis, Mark Takai, Robin Kelly, Niki Tsongas, Adam Smith, Norma Torres, Doris Matsui, Barbara Lee, Sandy Levin, Grace Meng, Katherine Clark, Annie Kuster, Kathy Castor, Steve Cohen, Jim McDermott, Alcee Hastings, Sr., Jerry McNerney, Matt Cartwright, Juan Vargas, Lois Capps, G. K. Butterfield, Jr., Alan Lowenthal, Lacy Clay, Jr., Joe Kennedy III, Raul Ruiz, Eleanor Norton, Jim Langevin, Earl Blumenauer, Don Payne, Jr., Suzan DelBene, Xavier Becerra, Dan Lipinski, Rosa DeLauro
Date: March 23, 2015
Location: Washington, DC
Issues: Transportation

Dear Chairman Diaz-Balart and Ranking Member Price:

We write to request that you fully fund the President's request for $1.25 billion for the TIGER program in the Transportation and Housing and Urban Development (T-HUD) Appropriations bill for fiscal year 2016.

TIGER -- formally known as Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery -- is a nationwide competitive grant program that creates jobs by funding investments in transportation infrastructure by states, local governments, and transit agencies. The TIGER program funds innovative projects that will have a significant impact on the nation, a region, or a metropolitan area. TIGER projects are required to deliver benefits in five critical national objectives, including safety, economic competitiveness, state of good repair, livability, and environmental sustainability.

Investment in transportation infrastructure is essential for economic growth. The American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) evaluated the condition of America's public infrastructure in 2013 and gave our country a grade of "D+". ASCE estimates that we will need to invest $3.6 trillion by 2020 in order to improve our nation's infrastructure. Furthermore, investment in infrastructure creates jobs for American workers tasked with building and repairing our nation's highways, railways, ports, and mass transit.

The President requested $1.25 billion for TIGER in FY 2016, as part of an expanded TIGER program that provides $7.5 billion over 6 years. This expanded TIGER program will create jobs, encourage innovation, and modernize transportation infrastructure for the 21st century.

We also request that the T-HUD bill not include any language restricting the types of projects that can qualify for TIGER. Last year, the House version of the FY 2015 T-HUD bill included restrictive language that would have prohibited certain types of transportation projects -- such as mass transit -- from receiving TIGER funding. In order to address the tremendous need for infrastructure across our nation and make certain that all communities benefit, it is important that all types of transportation projects are eligible to receive TIGER funding.

We therefore urge you to provide full funding of the President's request for $1.25 billion for TIGER grants in FY 2016 without restrictive language. We appreciate your attention to our concerns.


Source
arrow_upward