Motion to Instruct Conferees on H.R. 4348, Surface Transportation Extension Act of 2012, Part II
Floor Speech
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Mr. MORAN. I would say to our good friend from Pennsylvania that it is hard to believe that Chairman Bud Shuster would not be as troubled as we are by the state of the transportation bill. And he would be saying as we are: Just do it.
You have suggested any number of things where we would reach agreement, I would say to my friend from Pennsylvania, but this has been going on for almost 3 years. It was back in October of 2009 that we got a 1-month extension. Then, we extended it for 48 days; then 72 days; then 16 days; then 9 1/2 months; then 2 months and 4 days; then 6 months and 25 days; then 6 months, and 91 days, and now we're talking about another 3-month extension.
Let's just do it. That's why there's instruction to accept the Senate bill. If we know what we need, then let's reach compromise and get it done. Because meanwhile, people are unemployed. The American people are hurting, and the American public is disgusted with the Congress.
When we had a 13 percent approval rating, I was wondering how we had so many family and friends. Well, sure enough, now it's dipped down to single digits. Why? Because they don't see us doing anything. They don't see us compromising.
In the Senate, we have a Senate transportation bill where people as conservative as Republican Jim Inhofe, the ranking member of Surface Transportation, has approved this. It passed. Three-quarters of the Senate approved this. Why can't we just accept this and get it done?
We're talking about almost 3 million jobs that would be saved or created. We are in desperate need of jobs. There are jobs in this country, and they're going to have a lasting dividend once we improve our roads and our bridges and our public transit systems.
We need to get this done. The American people have been waiting 2 1/2 years for this surface transportation bill. That's why the motion to instruct is so important and why I support Mr. Hoyer, because this is what the American people want. And the fact is that, while it maintains current funding levels for highway and public transportation, it consolidates highway programs, establishes a national freight program, and any number of things.
We can agree it's not perfect, but it's the best we can do. And the American people deserve it.
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