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Hire More Heroes Act of 2015

Floor Speech

Date: Nov. 3, 2015
Location: Washington, DC
Issues: Transportation Government Budget and Spending

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Mr. GUINTA. Mr. Chairman, I rise today in support of my amendment to the bipartisan Surface Transportation Reauthorization and Reform Act.

Each year, we authorize funding for highway projects all across America. The underlying bill we are discussing today provides both much-needed Federal funding, but also necessary long-term certainty for planning transportation projects.

The funds provided are critical for maintaining our current roads and highways, improving our infrastructure, and creating new infrastructure across the country, something that is especially important for many rural areas like those in the Granite State. But like many projects that use taxpayer dollars, burdensome regulations and inefficiencies often drive up the cost of projects and cause delays in the final project.

My amendment is simple. It would require the Government Accountability Office to conduct a study to understand the purchasing power of the Federal highway dollars and quantify the things that weaken it, such as these burdensome regulations.

At a time when we face immense budgetary constraints, we should be examining how each and every dollar is being spent. Granite Staters sent me to Washington to shed light on how we spend their tax dollars, and this amendment achieves just that.

There is no doubt that these highway projects are beneficial and necessary for millions of Americans, but even the necessary and important projects should have proper oversight. It is just simply about good government.

Hardworking Granite Staters know how to stretch a dollar, and it should be no different for the Federal Government. This amendment allows us to identify the true cost of infrastructure projects. We should be doing all we can to ensure our tax dollars are being spent wisely and efficiently so these projects are completed on time and on budget.

I want to thank the chair and the ranking member, and I urge my colleagues to support my amendment.

I yield back the balance of my time.

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