[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 161 (2015), Part 5]
[House]
[Pages 6745-6746]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                           HIGHWAY TRUST FUND

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from 
Oregon (Ms. Bonamici) for 5 minutes.
  Ms. BONAMICI. 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

[[Page 6746]]

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.

                              {time}  1045

  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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