Washington, DC -- Congressman Eliot Engel (D-NY-17) urged the Republican House Majority, Senate Leadership, and President Barack Obama to come together and produce a robust, long-term surface transportation funding extension which would improve the nation’s infrastructure and put more Americans back to work, especially in light of today’s announcement of no new jobs added.

“I just completed touring parts of my district which sustained substantial damage caused by Hurricane Irene to our roads and bridges.  Bridges were knocked down and entire chunks of pavement were washed away, leaving municipalities with hazardous conditions, massive cleanup and logistical nightmares.  This just proves that we need to pay much more attention to our national infrastructure than we have in recent decades.  Our communities are vulnerable to these types of disasters, as well as to the normal deterioration of structures, which led to the bridge collapse in Minnesota four years ago.

“Investment in our infrastructure also means an investment in our workforce.  With massive amounts of Americans currently unemployed, this is needed now, more than ever.  President Obama has called for an immediate extension of the surface transportation bill, and a long-term robust version.  I applaud him for doing so, and I implore Congressional leadership to work with him to make it happen.  The best way for us to create immediate jobs is to rebuild our infrastructure.  It is a win-win for America.  For example, the Center for Budget and Policy Priorities says that a $50 billion investment in school renovation could create half a million jobs in 1-2 years.  If we fail to reauthorize the transportation bill, we would lose 4,000 jobs instantly, $1 billion in revenue in the first 10 days, and approximately one million jobs in the first year.  Both the AFL-CIO and the Chamber of Commerce agree with President Obama’s plan.  According to the U.S. Department of Transportation, 42 jobs are created for every $1 million in transportation construction funding.

“Worldwide, the United States ranks 23^rd in quality of its overall infrastructure.  Not only is there a dangerous safety issue at hand, which will only get worse, but there are also hundreds of thousands of jobs at stake. We cannot be pennywise and pound foolish.  China currently spends nine percent of its Gross Domestic Product (GDP) per year on infrastructure investments.  India spends five percent of its GDP on infrastructure.  The United States invests only 1.9 percent.  This is not the way to be competitive in the 21^st century.  Together we must develop a transportation bill to make our nation’s infrastructure safer, stronger and more secure, reduce congestion, and enhance economic development.”

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