U.S. Rep. Nick Rahall (D-WV) issued the following statement Friday in response to calls for a bipartisan economic stimulus package to turn around the national economy.

"An economic stimulus package is high on Washington's priority list-so high, in fact, that it appears to be garnering the strong support of BOTH parties. Inside the beltway, that says a lot. Tax cuts for individuals, as are being proposed, can help to buoy our economic ship, but near-term Federal investment in transportation infrastructure-something that has been cut to the bone in recent years-is also important to providing a much-needed infusion of money into our economy."

"The US Department of Transportation tells us that for every $1 billion of investment in our infrastructure, 47,500 jobs will be created. Many states are like West Virginia and have miles of highway and other infrastructure projects at low-boil on their backburners just waiting to get cooking. According to the Associated General Contractors of America, with only a small increase in funding, states could be able to have transportation projects ready to bid in the first and second quarters of this year and under construction in time for the summer construction season, if not sooner. It is my hope that the Congress and the President can reach a quick agreement to help put dollars into the economy and help head-off further economic decline and, hopefully, speed up a recovery."