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Senate Must Reverse House CR Cuts to Public Transit, Highways

WASHINGTON, DC—Transportation Trades Department, AFL-CIO (TTD) President Edward Wytkind issues this statement on the negative impacts to transportation of yesterday’s passage by the U.S. House of Representatives of a Continuing Resolution (CR) to keep the government running through September 30, 2013:

“At a time when our transportation system is suffering from chronic neglect, the House-passed CR rolls back promises already made to invest in our public transit and highways and flatlines other critical transportation programs.

“Unfortunately, this CR walks back a commitment made by lawmakers just last summer, as part of MAP-21, to fix our surface transportation network. The CR funds public transportation $118 million below MAP-21 levels at a time when transit ridership is growing yet transit agencies are cutting service and jobs due to collapsing budgets. The CR also inexplicably funds highway and bridge investments $586 million below MAP-21 levels. These transportation spending cuts threaten thousands of transportation and construction jobs.

“Even worse, the CR imposes these cuts and lower funding levels as the sequestration nightmare is set to severely impact air travel and will cascade throughout our multi-modal passenger and freight transportation system.

“Business as usual on Capitol Hill is continuing a dangerous policy course of disinvestment that is threatening our transportation system and economic future. We urge the Senate to reject the transit and highway cuts in the House CR and restore them to the promised funding levels in MAP-21.”

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The Transportation Trades Department, AFL-CIO, represents 33 member unions in the aviation, rail, transit, motor carrier, highway, longshore, maritime and related industries. For more information, visit us at ttd.org or on Facebook and Twitter.

CONTACT:  Jennifer Michels, jenniferm@ttd.org, 202.628.9262, 703.395.219

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