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Recently in Congress, my colleagues and I voted on the Surface Transportation
Extension Act of 2005 to extend the highway, transit, and highway safety
programs for the seventh time through June 30, 2005.
Every six years, Congress takes up the task of deciding what projects
will be included in the transportation reauthorization bill, determining
the next six years of funding for our nation’s roads, highways, and transit
systems. The transportation reauthorization bill was due for reauthorization
in June of 2004. Unfortunately, Congress and the Administration have
been unable to reach an agreement on the amount of funding to be invested
in our nation’s infrastructure and the bill continues to be at a stalemate.
President Bush has proposed $275 billion to fund the transportation reauthorization
program – $100 billion less than proposed by Don Young of Alaska, Chairman
of the House Transportation Committee.
I strongly support investing in our nation’s infrastructure. Funding
these projects eases congestion on America’s highways, opens trade routes,
and creates jobs and economic opportunity. As when I first
entered Congress, Arkansas’s road needs continue to be one of my top priorities.
I am pushing for full funding of I-69 and the Great River Bridge, the I-49
corridor, Highway 167, and the many other local and regional highway needs
within the Fourth Congressional District.
Achieving full-funding for these projects will not be easy, nor will
it be cheap. We have over $4 billion in interstate construction needs
in our congressional district alone, and the bill only has $6 billion for
new interstate construction for all of America.
There is no question that securing funding for our district’s highway
needs in the upcoming transportation bill is a vital component to our economic
future. I am cautiously optimistic that we will have a transportation
reauthorization bill by the end of June. Both the House and Senate
have passed their version of the transportation reauthorization bill, and
it is my hope that the conference committee will reach an agreement and
send a final bill to President Bush for his signature. Rest assured
I will continue to work in a bipartisan manner to fight for the funding
of our district’s needs, each and every step of the way.
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