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Highway and Transportation Funding Act of 2015

Floor Speech

Date: May 19, 2015
Location: Washington, DC
Issues: Infrastructure Government Budget and Spending

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Mr. Speaker, first, let me thank Chairman Shuster and Ranking Member DeFazio for their hard work and to the rest of the committee for the hours of work already done on a long-term transportation bill.

I rise today in support of H.R. 2353 to prevent the shutdown of funding for infrastructure improvement. I believe there is shared commitment between the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee and
most of the Members of the House to pass a fully funded, multiyear highway bill.

With the debt crisis we continue to battle, it is becoming more and more difficult to find the much-needed resources for our most critical needs. That leaves few options at our immediate disposal, most of which
are not palatable in this economic environment.

Members of both the Transportation Committee and the Ways and Means Committee will have to take a closer look at potential funding alternatives and be creative in how to finance a reliable and modern infrastructure system, and at the same time, we need to work towards getting our country back on a path of fiscal solvency.

As we work on a long-term solution, we should examine how to reform the highway trust fund to prevent finding ourselves in this same position over and over. A consistent funding mechanism, paired with a
more transparent system that demonstrates effective use of taxpayer dollars, will put us in a better position to fund critical infrastructure projects and instill more confidence on the part of our constituents.

I hope my colleagues will join me in supporting H.R. 2353 so we can continue work on a multiyear transportation bill to ensure our Nation's growth. Failure to act threatens our general contractors and their employees, suppliers, and puts at risk the jobs that are both directly and indirectly supported by these projects.

Mr. Speaker, if we want to keep our folks in business and continue any meaningful growth in our economy, then we must find a reliable, long-term solution.

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