Greg Regan, president of the Transportation Trades Department, AFL-CIO (TTD), issues this statement in support of the Surface Transportation Reauthorization Act of 2021, which passed unanimously out of the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works today:
“A safe, efficient, and well-funded transportation system is the backbone of our economy and the lifeline to educational and job opportunities millions of working families rely on.
“This bill is a positive first step towards the reauthorization of our nation’s federal highway, public transit, rail, and other surface transportation programs that are crucial to our economy. This five-year, $303.5 billion bill — a 34-percent increase over previous funding levels in the FAST Act — would serve as an important and significant down payment for America’s infrastructure, and help create and sustain the kinds of good jobs we know are needed.
“Transportation labor thanks Chairman Carper and Ranking Member Capito for their bipartisan leadership in moving this bill forward. We are eager to work with the other Congressional committees needed to ensure major investments in our roads, bridges, rail lines, and transit systems are approved on time and at the funding levels working people have been fighting for.”