[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 161 (2015), Part 9]
[House]
[Page 13160]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                         TRANSPORTATION FUNDING

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from 
Oregon (Mr. Blumenauer) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. BLUMENAUER. Mr. Speaker, predictably, Congress is sidestepping 
the transportation funding issue for the 34th time with yet another 
short-term extension, this one until the end of October.
  No nation has become great building its infrastructure 3 months, 8 
months, 10 months at a time. This is a symbol of the failure of 
Congress and the last two administrations to deal meaningfully with the 
need to rebuild and renew America.
  Our country is falling apart as we fall behind. We all can remember 
the days when the United States had the finest infrastructure in the 
world. Well, those days have long since passed. By any objective 
measure, we are now down about 25th in the world, and we continue to 
fall further.
  This failure has consequences for Americans every single day. The 
average damage to a car is over $500 a year in maintenance costs due to 
poor road conditions, more than $125 billion a year to the economy with 
congestion, being stuck in traffic.
  Because of poor road conditions, infrastructure failures, and an 
inability to keep pace with growth, there are people being killed and 
injured every day across America. It doesn't have to be this way.
  The failure to get a 6-year reauthorization, which we haven't had 
since 1998, is due to one simple fact: Congress is still trying to pay 
for 2015 infrastructure with 1993 dollars.
  The solution is simple. Over three dozen Members of Congress have 
cosponsored legislation to raise the gas tax for the first time in 22 
years, legislation that is supported by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, 
AFL-CIO, local government, transit, environmentalists, contractors, the 
largest collection of groups supporting any major issue before 
Congress.
  It is a solution that was advocated by President Ronald Reagan when 
he led the effort in his administration to raise the gas tax 125 
percent. It is a solution that has been embraced by six red Republican 
States already this year.
  The latest failure to slide into the end of October could actually be 
our salvation. I have personally lobbied President Obama to call for an 
end to this charade. The President believes in infrastructure and every 
year has offered up an approach from his perspective.
  I would urge the Congress and all of us to draw one final red line. 
This October 31 deadline ought to be it. Let Congress stew. Let things 
grind to a halt if we don't do our job.
  The gas tax legislation is already written and can be approved if the 
Ways and Means Committee and the Senate Finance Committee would deal 
with it for a week.
  It is a simple one-page bill. It is not necessary to tie ourselves in 
knots. And then, if we give a number to the authorizing committee, in a 
matter of weeks, they can develop that 6-year bill that would make such 
a difference.
  We could meet the President's deadline, have this done once and for 
all, put hundreds of thousands of people to work at family-wage jobs 
all across the country, improving the quality of life, making our 
communities more livable, our families safer, healthier, more 
economically secure, and stop playing with gimmicks that highlight our 
dysfunction.
  Let's prove to the American public and, more importantly, to us that 
we can actually function the way things were designed, using a user fee 
that is perfectly attuned to road needs that have served us well for 
over half a century.
  So, please, Mr. President, why don't you make it clear that you are 
going to call an end to this charade. Give Congress 3 more months to do 
our job. It doesn't need any more.
  We operate from cliff to crisis. Deadlines are simply an alarm clock 
to get started. Well, this particular alarm clock could start ticking 
now if you are calling a halt to our continued irresponsibility.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Members are reminded to direct their remarks 
to the Chair.

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