Highway Trust Fund

Floor Speech

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Mr. Speaker, recently I visited the Newberg-Dundee bypass, a highway construction project in my district that will divert traffic around two small communities that are thriving but choked with congestion. Once completed, local residents and visitors will no longer be stuck in traffic, especially on the weekends. The many wineries and farms and other small businesses in the county won't have to wait hours to get their customers in and their products out of the region. New businesses will see opportunity in relocating to the area, rather than obstacles to commerce.

For this growing county, a comprehensive transportation network is critical to its success. This isn't just true for my district; it is true across the country. Our roads, trains, buses, bridges, and ports are at the center of our economy. They are the way people get to work and businesses get their goods to market.

But unfortunately, funding for our transportation system continues to shrink. Spending on our infrastructure is now at its smallest share of GDP in the last 22 years.

In my State, in a 2014 report, the Oregon Department of Transportation estimates that the current 20-year forecast budget for the State highway system is insufficient to preserve and maintain pavement and bridges in their current condition. The report finds that not only will our roads deteriorate, but an increasing number of bridges will close to heavy trucks, forcing lengthy detours that will cost businesses time and money.

Poor-quality roads lead to greater maintenance costs, congested arteries, and traffic that delays the delivery of products; and, of course, the failure to update our trains and bridges threatens public safety. I implore this body, let us take action before another tragic accident.

The short-term extensions of the highway trust fund have left contractors and workers with uncertainty as they delay or even scrap construction plans. This costs us jobs and defers unnecessary maintenance and new construction while increasing expenses.

Recently, Ed Wytkind, president of the AFL-CIO Transportation Trades Department, said: ``Years of congressional inaction on a long-term surface transportation bill has harmed our economy.'' Congress needs to ``get to work on a robust long-term bill that expands investments and job creation and is paid for with a sustainable revenue stream.'' I couldn't agree more.

The Newberg-Dundee bypass was decades in the making. It is a partnership with local, State, tribal, and Federal support, and, quite simply, it wouldn't be under construction without previously approved funding. The Oregon Department of Transportation couldn't make a commitment without a commitment from the Federal Government as well.

When I visited the construction site last week, it was clear that this project is putting people to work: contractors, construction workers, people down the supply chain, and many others.

Now with just a few days until the current transportation bill expires, I call on my colleagues to take up a robust, multimodal, long-term transportation bill. Funding transportation provides our communities with an economic boost now and reinforces our infrastructure in a way that will sustain and strengthen our economy years from now.

Mr. Speaker, there have been many discussions in this Chamber about global competitiveness and the U.S. role in the world. World class infrastructure is critical to securing and maintaining this role. We need to act. We need to act now.

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