Providing for Consideration of H.R. 5, Protecting Access to Healthcare Act

Floor Speech

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BISHOP of New York. I thank my friend from Florida for yielding.

Time and time again over the last several months, we have heard from Republican leadership. We've heard their talk about the highway bill, H.R. 7, and they've talked about it as their principle jobs bill for the 112th Congress. Well, here we are, March 21, 10 days before the expiration of the current extension of the surface transportation bill, and where are we with respect to this incredibly important jobs legislation? We're nowhere. We're absolutely nowhere.

As of today, House Republicans have yet to put forward a credible highway reauthorization that puts Americans back to work. Their only attempt, H.R. 7, the Boehner-Mica authorization, was passed on February 14 in the Transportation Committee--passed on a party-line vote with, in fact, a couple of Republicans voting against it. Then something happened on the way to the floor. On the way to the floor, the Republican leadership realized that they didn't have the votes on their side of the aisle to pass it.

And what about this bill? Well, Secretary Ray LaHood, a former distinguished Member of this body, Republican from Illinois, current Transportation Secretary, described it as the worst highway bill he's ever seen. He's been in public life for 35 years; he said it was the worst he's ever seen.

The bill was drafted in the dark of night without any Democratic input. Remarkably, it removed transit from the highway trust fund--removed the guaranteed Federal funding that's been in place on a bipartisan basis for 30 years, removed it. It couldn't attract, understandably, a single Democratic vote; but they found out on the way to the floor that they couldn't get enough Republican votes to pass it either.

Now, I'm proud to be offering the Senate bill, MAP 21. We're calling it H.R. 14 here in the House. This bipartisan legislation should refocus the discussion on jobs and economic opportunities rather than the Republican message this week of tearing down Medicare and protecting the 1 percent at the expense of middle class families.

MAP 21, or H.R. 14, represents a bipartisan path forward that makes meaningful reforms and provides certainty to States. MAP 21 passed overwhelmingly in the Senate with a bipartisan majority. As you heard Mr. Andrews say, three-quarters of the Senate voted for this bill. It's fully paid for--something that the House Republicans seem unable to come close to achieving--and the MAP 21, H.R. 14, pay-fors are less controversial than the pay-fors in the House Republican bill.

It's been estimated that this bill will save 1.8 million jobs and create up to 1 million more jobs. During a weak economic recovery looking for a jump-start, why aren't we passing this bill? Why aren't we even debating this bill? Why are we 10 days away from the expiration of the current extension and there is no plan in this House to move forward?

Is H.R. 14 the silver bullet to our surface transportation needs? No, it's not.

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Mr. BISHOP of New York. I appreciate the gentleman for yielding.

There is no silver bullet when it comes to our infrastructure needs. I, and a great many others, would prefer a 5-year bill; but given the hyper-partisan fashion in which the House Republicans have advanced H.R. 7 and some of the deeply flawed proposals included in their bill, H.R. 14 is the only proposal out there that currently Democrats and Republicans can stand behind. Democrats will not wait around for House Republicans to pander to their base and chase ideological extremes. Americans want jobs and safe roads and safe bridges.

The Senate passed the biggest job-creating bill in this Congress by an overwhelming bipartisan margin. The House has done nothing. Let's get this country moving again by passing H.R. 14 so the President can sign it. Let's create jobs. Let's make it in America, and let's pass this bill.

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