[Congressional Record Volume 159, Number 171 (Wednesday, December 4, 2013)]
[House]
[Page H7457]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                     WE NEED A PRO-BUSINESS POLICY

  (Mr. HIGGINS asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute.)
  Mr. HIGGINS. Mr. Speaker, last month the President and CEO of FedEx 
Freight spoke at a conference for the National Industrial 
Transportation League. He warned that our Nation's roads, highways, and 
bridges weren't equipped to handle current or future needs.
  The American Society of Civil Engineers reports that there are 69,000 
structurally deficient bridges in this country--meaning that every 
second of every day, seven cars are driving over a bridge that is 
structurally deficient--and that $3.6 trillion will be needed by 2020 
to address our aging infrastructure. Despite this, the most recent 
transportation bill passed by Congress spends a pathetically weak $52 
billion a year on infrastructure.
  Companies like FedEx understand the long-term benefits of efficient 
transportation of people and goods. The United States Chamber of 
Commerce estimates that we will experience $336 billion in lost growth 
over the next 5 years due to inadequate infrastructure.
  I urge my colleagues to understand that a robust infrastructure 
investment not only creates jobs but promotes pro-business policies 
that sustain and produce economic growth.

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