Platform calls on candidates to make bold commitments to investing in infrastructure & transportation, supporting U.S. workers
Washington, DC — The Transportation Trades Department, AFL-CIO (TTD), is calling on 2020 presidential candidates to adopt an infrastructure policy platform that will improve quality of life for millions of working families by reinvigorating the economy, rebuilding America and creating the kinds of good, middle-class jobs we can be proud of. Investing in U.S.: A Transportation Infrastructure Platform for 2020 Presidential Candidates, released today, offers a comprehensive list of policy proposals designed to guide candidates’ priorities on infrastructure ahead of the 2020 election.
The platform calls for massive investments across all modes of transportation, funding certainty for state and local governments, an end to the politicization of funding infrastructure, and the creation and protection of good, middle-class jobs. Its release comes ahead of United for Infrastructure’s “Moving America Forward” presidential candidate forum on infrastructure in Las Vegas on Feb. 16, days before the Feb. 22 Nevada caucuses.
“The next president of the United States has two choices: A future where powerful corporations and wealthy CEOs remain unchecked in their power. Or a future where working people come first, corporations are held accountable, and finding a good job that pays a living wage is not hard to do,” said TTD president Larry Willis. “The second option is possible, and the right investments in our transportation system and infrastructure are part of the path forward.”
Priorities outlined in the platform include:
- Bold investments in a multi-modal network: Years of underinvestment in our transportation system and infrastructure have taken their toll, and it’s working families who pay the price — in excruciatingly long lines at airports, inadequate public transit services, bridges that are no longer safe to travel across, and seaports that cannot meet current demands. Ever-tightening pocketbooks, and limited access to good jobs, educational opportunities, and medical care are a further byproduct of our failure to invest. By taking seriously the needs of America’s working families and meeting our infrastructure crisis head on, our next president can breathe new life into the American middle-class, and create the kind of economic stability and world-class infrastructure we deserve.
- Funding projects based on merit, not politics: Our rail lines, roads, bridges, ports, airports, and transit systems do not function in a vacuum. They are all part of a complex, interconnected transportation network that allows this country, its economy, and working families to prosper — and they all deserve federal funding. Adequately addressing our nation’s infrastructure crisis will require leaders who understand that urban and rural communities are both equally deserving of attention, and who will commit to investing in the projects that will move us all forward.
- Funding our needs: Repairing and rebuilding our neglected surface transportation network – transit systems, roads and bridges — starts with securing a long-term, stable revenue stream for the Highway Trust Fund. Properly spending out monies currently sitting in the Harbor Maintenance Trust Fund will help allow our seaports to be the envy of the world. Federal budgets must allocate resources necessary to support a national passenger rail network, update an air traffic control system that still relies on WWII-era technology, and support inter-modal freight connections that are a prerequisite to economic expansion.
- Creating and protecting middle-class jobs and enhancing workers’ rights: When strong labor protections are paired with infrastructure spending, we can ensure tax-payer dollars are used to support fair wages and safe working conditions for front-line workers. And, as we spend trillions rebuilding and repairing our crumbling infrastructure, ignoring adjacent opportunities to grow our manufacturing sector would be foolish. That’s why 2020 candidates must also commit to pair infrastructure funding with smart Buy America and procurement rules, which will ensure buses, trains, steel, and other materials used in transportation and infrastructure are manufactured in the U.S.
“For years, we have failed to keep pace with the growing demands placed on our transportation system, infrastructure, and economy, and working people have borne the brunt of this burden,” said TTD Secretary-Treasurer Greg Regan. “Restoring dignity to America’s working families, rebalancing our economy, and creating a transportation network capable of meeting the needs of a 21st-Century economy can be done – but it will require smart, thoughtful policies and bold leadership. By adopting the solutions outlined in this platform, the next president of the United States can lead the way in improving the lives of working people, rebuilding our country, and securing America’s place as a world economic leader.”
The release of this platform comes as experts predict that the next president will inherit an infrastructure backlog in the trillions, and a transportation system that costs the average family $3,200 a year in lost time and car repairs and leaves 900,000 good union jobs on the table annually.
To learn more about Investing in U.S.: A Transportation Infrastructure Platform for 2020 Presidential Candidates or to connect with TTD experts for interviews, contact Jonna Huseman at jonna@ttd.org or (202) 974-8065.