Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies

Floor Speech

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Mr. BOOZMAN. Mr. President, I want to express my strong support for the 2017 Transportation and Housing and Urban Development appropriations bill. Senator Collins and Senator Reed deserve tremendous credit for their leadership on this bipartisan bill.

Congress has the basic responsibility to determine how we spend hard- earned taxpayer dollars. It is a responsibility that my colleagues and I on the Appropriations Committee take very seriously. Debating and passing these annual bills provides accountability. It is an important part of setting priorities, making choices, and reducing waste.

Last week, the Senate passed an energy and water appropriations bill crafted by Senators Alexander and Feinstein. While I don't serve on their subcommittee, I was very proud to support their bill, and I congratulate them on moving forward and making the process work.

The 2017 Transportation and HUD appropriations bill is the latest example of the Senate's return to regular order. This process enables all Senators to play an active role in the legislative process and to address concerns that are important to their States. This bill is crafted with bipartisan support, and it helps to drive the growth of our Nation. Senators Collins and Reed have put in a lot of work to prepare this bill for consideration, as have both of their staffs. The discretionary spending in this bill is within the budget caps, and it reflects a responsible approach. The bill strengthens our country's infrastructure and transportation system.

This week is recognized as Infrastructure Week, and I have heard from several Arkansans that this must remain a priority. Our citizens have opportunities, and our Nation is a powerful economic force, thanks in part to our roads and bridges, airports, waterways, and related structures. We need to maintain our roads because they provide a reliable way to move goods and services around the country and, with the rest of our infrastructure, to countries around the world. These investments lead to job creation and greatly benefit our economy.

The bill provides critical funding to modernize air traffic control. While our current system is second to none in safety, the FAA must accelerate its progress toward operating a more efficient system. A modern air traffic control system will be more convenient for travelers, it will save money, and it will clean the environment by reducing the amount of fuel used by aircraft. The bill provides critical funding to improve air traffic certification services. These improvements can help aircraft manufacturers, including those in Arkansas, that are fighting to win in a competitive global market.

The bill provides critical highway funding that is consistent with the long-term highway bill we passed last year under the leadership of Senators Inhofe and Boxer. I am pleased that this bill includes a provision I offered to empower the State to designate a portion of Highway 67 in Arkansas, from North Little Rock to Walnut Ridge, as ``Future I-57.'' Arkansas has invested hundreds of millions of dollars to build an interstate-quality road, and we are now calling it what it is. The presence of an official interstate highway is one of the initial key factors that developers consider when determining where to make major investments such as building new factories.

Community leaders along this stretch of road shared their excitement about the future designation. Buck Layne, executive director for the Searcy Regional Chamber of Commerce, says this will improve the transportation network and expand economic development opportunities.

Jon Chadwell, executive director for the Newport Economic Development Commission, says this will open up opportunities to Arkansas business and give companies an even greater access to national and global markets.

Walnut Ridge mayor Charles Snapp says this designation will open a lot of doors, and Walnut Ridge aldermen voted this week to support this designation.

Resolutions of support for the I-57 designation have been passed by the Newport Economic Development Commission, as well as the chambers of commerce in Bald Knob, Cabot, Jacksonville, Lawrence County, Newport, Sherwood, and Searcy. Other expressions of support will be received in communities throughout the central Arkansas and northeast Arkansas regions.

This designation is an important step to make Arkansas a better connected State that is open for business. This bill also sets high priorities and provides critical funding through programs like community development block grants. These programs work because they allow decisions to be made at the local community level.

I appreciate the efforts to make sure rural States like Arkansas are not left behind by housing and development programs.

I compliment the chair and ranking member on working to address Member priorities under these programs.

We are also jointly considering the Military Construction and Veterans Affairs bill. Senators Kirk and Tester have worked very hard to put together a good package for the Senate to debate. Their bill funds the VA at record levels and invests in priorities such as veterans health care, benefit claims processing, the Board of Veterans' Appeals, and the VA inspector general, as well as prosthetic research. It includes funding for projects to ensure military readiness and improve the quality of life for our military families.

I grew up in a military family, and I have been honored to serve on the Veterans' Affairs Committee since my first day in the House of Representatives. The needs of veterans are very important to me, and I am proud to support the work that Senator Kirk and Senator Tester have done to provide funding for 2017. These are funding and policy priorities for both sides of the aisle.

I encourage my colleagues to support this legislation because it creates an environment that helps grow our economy, reins in spending, and takes care of our veterans.

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