WASHINGTON, D.C. – Anticipating Senate deliberation over S. 3335 and following the House of Representatives’ passage of H.R. 6532, the below statement is offered by Edward Wytkind, President of the Transportation Trades Department, AFL-CIO:
“Now is not the time to let the Highway Trust Fund run dry. Allowing transportation projects across the country to grind to a halt and putting hundreds of thousands of workers out of jobs is the exact opposite of what America needs. We need to be doing more – not less – to address our crumbling infrastructure.
“A small group of Senators must not stand in the way of this urgently needed fix. The Highway Trust Fund is a primary source of funding for road construction, bridge repair and mass transit. The Senate must quickly pass this legislation and urge the President to sign it into law.
“It is sad but not surprising that the Bush Administration has threatened to veto shoring up the Highway Trust Fund as proposed. The Administration’s so-called solution to the problem is nothing more than an accounting gimmick. Taking money away from mass transit in order to provide a short-term patch to the Highway Trust Fund won’t solve the problem.
“The Minneapolis bridge collapse – which happened one year ago this week – should be a stark reminder of the urgent infrastructure needs this country faces. Americans expect good leadership from their elected officials, and that includes funding essential services that benefit all Americans.”
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The Transportation Trades Department, AFL-CIO, represents 32 member unions in the aviation, rail, transit, trucking, highway, longshore, maritime and related industries. For more information, visit www.ttd.org.
This press release on TTD letterhead