Washington, DC -- Congressman Eliot Engel (D-NY-17) condemned the Republican Majority’s latest anemic and disastrous five-year transportation bill. 

Rep. Engel said “not only does it slash funding for America’s infrastructure at alarming rates, but it also devastates mass transit funding.  This cut in funding will only lead to more hardship for working people.”

Rep. Engel, a senior member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, continued, “Governor Romney said that he did not care about the poor.  It seems as if that sentiment is spreading.  This transportation bill is nothing more than a slap in the face to hard-working Americans who are struggling day-to-day to make ends meet.  A loss of funding for mass transit will force working people to spend more to simply get to their jobs – and hinder those still looking for work.  I guess we should have some sympathy for Governor Romney, Donald Trump and other members of the 1% - it has been costing more to gas up their chauffeured limousines and heat their many mansions.  So what if their chauffeurs and domestic staff have to spend more money to show up for work.”

“This transportation bill could be a golden opportunity for investment in our infrastructure and our people. However, the bill being reported from the House Ways and Means Committee takes the gas and diesel taxes dedicated to mass transit without explaining how this funding will be replaced.  It is pennywise and pound foolish. It is foolish to be frugal on this bill for the effect on jobs, and for the safety of our citizens.  We do not need another collapsed bridge on our hands.  In my district, the Tappan Zee Bridge is in desperate need of replacement – as are 10 other structurally deficient bridges, according the Bureau of Transportation Statistics - and can really use increased aid from the federal government.  The Tappan Zee Bridge MUST be replaced, and there is fear that tolls could skyrocket to pay for it.  Delaying these projects only invites disaster.  China currently spends nine percent of its Gross Domestic Product (GDP) per year on infrastructure investments.  India spends five percent, while the United States lags at only 1.9 percent.  We rank 23^rd worldwide in the quality of our infrastructure. 

“U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood, a Republican former Member of Congress, called it the ‘worst transportation bill’ he’s seen in his ‘35 years of public service.’  It will be disastrous to local transit agencies and will threaten jobs at a time where our jobs market is slowly starting to recover from the failed Republican policies of the Bush Administration.  Ridership for mass transit, especially in New York, has never been higher.  The wise move should be making a greater investment in such systems, not tear them apart. 

“This is not the way to be competitive in the 21^st Century.  I call on my Republican colleagues to rethink this strategy and work in a bipartisan manner to develop a better transportation bill, one that can pass the Senate and benefit our entire country.  Together we can work towards making our nation’s infrastructure safer, stronger and more secure.”

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