Hire More Heroes Act of 2015--Continued
Floor Speech
BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT
Mr. REED. Mr. President, let me begin by commending Senator Collins and Senator Murray for their extraordinary leadership on this TIGER program in particular but in so many different aspects, particularly with respect to transportation policy. They have done an extraordinary job, and today is no exception. I am delighted to be able to join them on their amendment to increase resources for TIGER grants.
I am disappointed, as are my colleagues, that this is merely, in some respects, a discussion amendment--we can't bring it up for a vote--because I think this is an effort, as Senator Collins pointed out, that would be supported strongly by both sides of the aisle.
Since 2009, the TIGER program has helped State and local governments make critical investments in their infrastructure all across this country. In many respects, it is the final piece of a puzzle of how we get needed, necessary infrastructure in place. It has been that catalyst that has brought private funds and State funds and local funds together to accomplish something that makes sense to our economy and to the efficiency and productivity of our States.
TIGER is able to leverage additional resources. It is a program that has been wildly popular to construct roads and bridges, public transit, ports, and passenger and freight railroads. It is very flexible. Its flexibility, its adaptability, and its ability to coalesce other resources has been remarkable. As a result, it has been extraordinarily popular.
Through the TIGER program, the U.S. Department of Transportation has supported more than 340 different projects in all 50 States and in the District of Columbia. These projects have improved safety, they have connected workers to jobs, and they have supported economic development. By the way, they put people to work right away in an economy that needs people to be working right now.
As Senator Collins pointed out, the demand has far outstripped the resources: 6,700 applications for the roughly 300 grants.
We can do more. The appetite is there, the need is there, and the competitive process ensures that these needed resources are targeted to extraordinarily important programs. So for many of these reasons this is one of those programs that is just win-win-win. Unfortunately, we cannot bring it forward on this legislation. This funding is absolutely necessary.
I have seen in my home State of Rhode Island that without the TIGER grant we would not have been able to jump-start a project which is the Interstate 95 viaduct. It sounds interesting, but it is actually critical. It is the center of I-95 in Providence, RI, which is the major north-south highway in New England. If this viaduct project could not be funded, then essentially there would be a roadblock on I-95. TIGER has helped this project move forward. We have to do more, but it has helped to move this project forward.
It has helped ports in Providence and at Quonset Point. All of these are so necessary because they improve our economic competitiveness globally, regionally, nationally; they put people to work, and they prepare us for much more complicated issues in the world economy. As I said before, we are all disappointed that because of this process we can't have a debate and have a vote. We are also disappointed because we bypassed in this process the committees that typically do these things--the Banking Committee for transit, the Finance Committee for the pay-fors for this legislation. Again, I am disappointed we could not have done it the old fashioned way, through the committees and bring it to the floor. If we had that approach, we could have improved the offsets that we are using to pay for these programs. We could have considered amendments like this. We could have done a lot of things.
Now we all have additional amendments that we are filing, but we won't be able to take them up. I have got one in terms of pay-fors that would produce $55 billion over 10 years--robust funding for a score of highway programs--and it is by capping the deduction of publicly traded corporations for employee salaries over $1 million. I think most Americans would say if someone is getting over $1 million we shouldn't be subsidizing that with tax reimbursement. They very well may be worth that money, but that is a judgment the corporation should make, and if they think it is worthwhile, they are the ones who should put the money up, not with a subsidy from the tax code. That is just an example of some of the ways we could generate real resources.
Again, let me say how strongly I support this amendment, how much we really owe the determination, the vision, and the thoughtfulness of Senator Collins and Senator Murray. I must also thank Senator Inhofe and Senator Boxer for their work on getting us at least this far. We have got to go further, but they have got us at least this far.
It looks as if, given that the House is leaving, this bill will not be enacted this week. Certainly, we have got a template which I hope we can improve on as we spend the few months' extension that will be the ultimate result of this week. In that time I think one of the measures that will be improved is the TIGER program and other things that we can and must do.
Let me conclude where I began and thank very sincerely Senator Collins and Senator Murray.
I yield the floor.
BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT
Source