Congressman Tim Ryan Statement on Passage of Short-Term Extension of Highway Trust Fund

Statement

Congressman Tim Ryan issued the following statement after voting in support of the Highway and Transportation Funding Act, which is a short-term extension of the Highway Trust Fund for 5 months -- the Highway Trust Fund was set to expire at the end of July of this year:

It is with regret that I voted in favor of this legislation. Time and again, the Republican leadership faces critical deadlines and forces Congress to kick the can down the road. Our country's our bridges are unsafe, our infrastructure is failing and roads are crumbling -- and a five-month extension doesn't solve our problems. These short-term extensions don't allow us to make the critical updates and improvements our country so desperately needs. I could not stand aside and allow this funding to expire, which is why I voted in favor of the measure.

We need a long-term, innovative solution for our failing infrastructure. That is why I joined my Democratic colleagues in introducing the GROW AMERICA Act, a long-term transportation bill that authorizes a six-year plan to rebuild America's infrastructure. Our legislation would add nearly two million jobs to the our economy, while cracking down on American companies that move their mailing addresses overseas to avoid paying taxes. This legislation would allow us to finally bring America's infrastructure into the 21st century. I call on Republican leadership to stop governing by crisis and allow a vote on the GROW AMERICA Act.

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