Rep. Ellison Statement on Bill to Fund Highway Trust Fund

Statement

Rep. Keith Ellison (D-MN) released the following statement today after voting in favor of a short-term extension to fund the Highway Trust Fund.

"While I supported the two-month extension, I believe we cannot rebuild American's roads, bridges and transit systems two months at a time. A long-term plan for our nation's infrastructure should be bipartisan. When President Eisenhower boldly proposed the creation of our interstate highway system, House Republicans and Democrats overwhelmingly supported the idea.

"Republicans say they want to keep spending down when it comes to infrastructure and food stamps, but they had no problem sneaking an extra $38 billion into a defense spending bill passed last week. Republicans sabotage the Highway Trust Fund because they want to privatize our nation's infrastructure spending--a hand out to the big corporations funding their campaigns.

"Our inadequate transportation system causes greater congestion, increases pollution, puts lives at risk and costs drivers an average of $324 in repair costs per year. We must rebuild our crumbling infrastructure for our safety and our economy. We need a long-term funding strategy for the Highway Trust Fund."

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