Long-Term Funding Will Help The Nation

Congressman Ted Lieu
Congressional Record: 114th Congress, 1st Session
July 10, 2015

(Mr. TED LIEU of California asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 minute.)

Mr. TED LIEU of California. Madam Speaker, when it comes to the highway trust fund, it feels like the movie ‘‘Groundhog Day’’ over and over again, where once again we are faced with the expiration of this important fund.

We know from a recent Department of Transportation report that 54 percent of our roads and highways are deemed to be poor, one in four bridges are structurally deficient, and we need to fund this highway trust fund at its full capacity, and we need to do it on a long-term basis. We can’t continue to do it on a short-term basis. It is not helpful to our State and local governments. We can’t get projects off the ground.

I request that the Republican majority put a bill on the floor that funds the highway trust fund on a long-term basis. And we know that this will help our Nation, because for every dollar we invest in infrastructure, we get over $2 back in economic output.