Derailment of Partisan GOP Transpo Bill Good for New York and American Jobs, Bishop Says

Press Release

The demise of the House Republican Majority's Transportation Bill, which Transportation Secretary and former Republican Congressman Ray LaHood called "the worst transportation bill I have seen in my 35 years of public service," is another missed opportunity by the Republican majority to put Americans back to work, invest in America and repair New York's aging infrastructure, Congressman Tim Bishop said today.

Facing united opposition from Democrats and a Republican caucus divided over the controversial proposal, House Speaker John Boehner delayed a previously scheduled vote so the bill, known as H.R. 7, can be rewritten. Bishop said support for the bill was eroded by partisan provisions that would undermine our commitment to mass transit and make America's roads less safe.

The Republican bill proposed to slash transportation funding for New York State by approximately $1 billion over the next five years and would bankrupt the Highway Trust Fund by 2016 according to the Congressional Budget office. All told, the bill would have cut Federal-aid highway investment by $15.8 billion, forcing the elimination of over 21,000 jobs in New York and 550,000 family-wage construction jobs over the next five years.

The bill included a controversial proposal to require all revenue raised through the motor fuels tax to be spent on highway programs, exposing mass transit programs to devastating funding cuts. Bishop also opposed provisions that would open the Alaskan National Wildlife Refuge and other areas of the country, including the coast of Long Island, to oil and gas drilling.

Bishop said a bipartisan two-year transportation package pending in the Senate was a better approach to dealing with the nation's deteriorating transportation infrastructure, but that the certainty of a longer-term bill would help states and local governments plan for the future.

"Investing in transportation infrastructure will create middle-class jobs in America now and build a solid foundation for future economic growth," said Congressman Bishop. "I urge Speaker Boehner to take this plan back to the drawing board and bring to the Floor a bipartisan bill that honestly addresses our need for efficient and safe transportation."

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