Federal Highway Program Funding

Floor Speech

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Mr. REID. Madam President, the Senate also faces another looming deadline manufactured by Republican leadership. At the end of July, Republican funding for the Federal highway program will expire. In 5 days, we will lose the Export-Import Bank. In just a few weeks, we are going to lose the highway program.

Our Nation's roads, bridges, highways, and transit systems are in desperate need of repair. Some 64,000 bridges are structurally deficient. This isn't 6,400; it is 64,000 bridges. Fifty percent of our roads are dangerously in need of repair. Still, Republicans in Congress have refused to work with Democrats in making an adequate long-term investment in our country's surface transportation programs.

Delaying and stalling has become their normal practice. Republicans are content to take a page straight out of their playbook. That playbook is called ``Republican Manufactured Crisis Playbook.'' They do this day after day. They just go to that playbook that has been used over and over again. We have seen it before, and we are seeing it again with highways. We are seeing it with Ex-Im Bank. Instead of working with Democrats to create long-term solutions to our Nation's woes, the Republican leader will wait until the deadline is imminent--and on highways, we can see it coming--and he will offer another short-term extension to stave off a disaster of his own making. That is unacceptable. We have already had 33 Republican short-term fixes--33. We don't need a 34th.

Governing by crisis is a reckless strategy that leaves the well-being of Americans and our economy hanging in the balance. The Republican leader should abandon this policy and stop dragging our country from one crisis to another crisis. Republicans can get started today by bringing up reauthorization of the Ex-Im Bank for a vote before the charter expires in just a few days.

It will pass. Certainly he could focus on long-term, bipartisan reauthorization of the Federal highway program, which, as I have indicated, expires in a few weeks.

The American people should not be forced to endure manufactured crises at the hands of Republican leadership. I urge the Republican leadership to change course and govern with the well-being of the American people in mind.

Madam President, will the Chair announce the business of the day.

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