Washington, D.C. – Today, Congressman Heath Shuler (D-Waynesville) announced that the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) will shut down early next week until the Senate passes a bill to continue funding of the Administration and other essential government programs.
Yesterday, the House of Representatives passed emergency legislation that would extend a number of programs that are due to expire this weekend, including the Federal Highway Administration, some small business loans, unemployment insurance and health benefits for laid-off workers (COBRA). The emergency 30-day extension passed the House with unanimous support, and is essential to millions of American families.
However, Senator Jim Bunning, a Kentucky Republican, threatened a filibuster on Thursday night which shut down Senate debate on the bill that would continue to fund these expiring programs. Almost 1.2 million unemployed Americans could lose federal unemployment benefits in the coming week as the unemployment insurance program expires. Expenses incurred by state Departments of Transportation and local agencies for highway and transportation projects will not be reimbursed by the federal government as of Monday without extension of this authorization. Allowing the FHWA to lapse could put 90,000 jobs across the U.S. at risk in the next week.
“The House acted to continue all these programs. Not passing this bill in the Senate will directly affect many Americans,” said Congressman Shuler. “If the Highway Administration shuts down, transportation and construction jobs will be disrupted. If unemployment insurance and COBRA expire, more than 490,000 unemployed North Carolinians could lose their insurance. The House has passed 290 bills that the Senate has yet to touch, and the American people are suffering as a result.”
In December of 2009, the House passed the jobs bill which would have continued a number of these programs. On Thursday, every member of the House again passed a bill that would continue these programs, yet Senator Bunning arbitrarily blocked the passage of this bill in the Senate.
Earlier this week, Congressman Shuler, a member of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, acted to swiftly to move legislation that would extend the authorization of federal highway programs. He led a bipartisan effort to avoid disruptions in vital transportation projects and prevent the loss of thousands of construction jobs that are associated with those projects. In a letter sent to Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi and Minority Leader John Boehner, Shuler urged a prompt extension and fair allocation of $932 million in FHWA funding through the Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users (SAFETEA-LU).
Eight members of the North Carolina delegation lent their signatures to Shuler’s letter which advocates for SAFETEA-LU funding to be distributed in a manner that is fair to all 50 states. In contrast, the Senate proposal for continuing SAFETEA-LU would have excluded 22 states, including North Carolina, from receiving certain transportation funds. The Senate proposal would give 58% of the roughly $932 million in SAFETEA-LU accounts to only four states. The letter is attached, as well as a PDF chart which shows how states would fare under the Senate proposal. In response to Shuler’s activism, House and Senate leadership have agreed to ensure fairness in allocation of SAFETEA-LU funds to all states, and which could result in an increase of North Carolina’s share to roughly $26 million.
“Congress has a tremendous responsibility to get its work done for the American people. This week, Senator Bunning acted single-handedly to prevent the Senate from getting its work done,” said Congressman Shuler.
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