OFFICIALS LEGISLATION INTEREST GROUPS PUBLIC STATEMENTS COMMITTEES VETOES

Highway and Transportation Funding Act of 2014

Floor Speech

Date: Aug. 1, 2014
Location: Washington, DC
Issues: Transportation Infrastructure

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Mr. VAN HOLLEN. Madam Speaker, I rise in reluctant opposition to the highway bill before us today. While I strongly support infrastructure spending and believe we must pass a short-term fix to avert insolvency this summer, I am concerned that this bill will allow us to simply kick the can down the road one more time and delay a long-term solution.

This week, the Senate voted on a bipartisan basis to shorten the timeline of this emergency extension, increasing pressure for a permanent solution this year. The House should not now delay those urgent conversations into next Spring. Our states and businesses have repeatedly asked for a long-term highway bill that provides certainty and allows them to tackle our greatest infrastructure needs. Congress should pass a temporary patch to get us the next few months, and then immediately begin work to fix the Trust Fund once and for all. Our constituents expect solutions, not band-aids, and it is long past time for Congress to deliver.

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