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REP. ENGEL CONDEMNS ‘ANEMIC' TRANSPORTATION BILL

07/08/11

Washington, DC -- Congressman Eliot Engel (D-NY-17) condemned the Republican Majority’s latest failure to create jobs with its unveiling of a six-year transportation bill which cuts current funding levels by 35 percent.

 “This bill is an anemic attempt at fixing our crumbling infrastructure, to the point where it can barely be considered an attempt to fix anything at all.  Our nation’s bridges and highways are literally falling apart.  The tragedy of the Minnesota bridge collapse should have served as a clarion call to everyone that we must act, and soon.  In my district, the Tappan Zee Bridge is an accident waiting to happen, and projects designed to correct the deteriorating structure are woefully underfunded now.  I personally inspected the bridge, and can attest to its need for repair and eventual replacement. We cannot afford to cut back on that funding even further.

“The United States ranks 23rd worldwide in the quality of its overall infrastructure.  Not only is there a dangerous safety issue at hand, but there are also hundreds of thousands of jobs at stake.  According to estimates, 500,000 jobs will be lost in the first year alone under this proposal.  Meanwhile, investment in transportation would mean an increase in jobs for the American people.  The Republican Majority campaigned on having a laser-like focus on job creation.  Instead, they have had a laser-like focus on ignoring the nation’s unemployment problem and allowing our infrastructure to collapse. 

“The transportation bill could be a golden opportunity to invest in America, and our people.  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 21st century, and I call on my Republican colleagues to rethink this strategy and join with Democrats to develop a better transportation bill which will make our nation’s infrastructure safer, stronger and more secure.”

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