Congresswoman Jackson Lee Urges Swift Bipartisan Action to Rebuild America

Press Release

Today, Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee cosponsored the bipartisan job-creating Senate transportation bill that passed last week by a vote of 74 to 22 and called on House Republicans to abandon their partisan transportation bill, and bring it up immediately.

"Last week, Democratic and Republican Senators overwhelmingly voted to generate jobs, repair our roads and bridges, invest in our infrastructure, and strengthen our economy. Today, I cosponsored that job creating legislation to make progress in rebuilding America. Sending the bipartisan Senate transportation bill to the President's desk before the current highway program expires in 10 days will bring the certainty that state and local governments need to pave the way for a stronger America.

"Now is not the time for a House Republicans' "my way or no highway' agenda, or "kick the can down the road' extensions. Instead we need swift House action on the Senate bipartisan package that will save or create jobs for workers here in STATE.

At a time when 50% of our roads are in disrepair, 70,000 bridges are structurally deficient, and transit ridership was up a whopping 235 million trips last year, this bill provides critical infrastructure upgrades in all 50 states. The Senate transportation maintains investments for highways and public transportation, consolidates and streamlines highway programs, strengthens safety, establishes a national freight program, and institutes performance measures and improves accountability for transportation infrastructure investments.

"Transportation has long been a bipartisan issue -- and the Senate continued this tradition. In contrast, House Republicans have advanced what Republican Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood called the most partisan and worst transportation bill in decades. Instead of taking up a Senate proposal that creates or saves more than two million jobs, Republicans are pushing a bill that destroys more than half-a-million jobs. Rather than work with Democrats to rebuild America, Republicans are proposing to cut highway investments in 45 states, bankrupt the Highway Trust Fund, and weaken our economy.

"Without a doubt, the House Republican transportation bill is bad for jobs, bad for public safety, bad for workers and bad for our economic growth. With investments in highways about to expire, it is time to take a different route -- the bipartisan route of swiftly enacting the Senate bill to make the investments necessary to strengthen our economy and our middle class, create jobs, and rebuild America."

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