[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 33, Number 11 (Monday, March 17, 1997)]
[Pages 343-345]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Remarks Announcing the Proposed ``National Economic Crossroads 
Transportation Efficiency Act''

March 12, 1997

    Thank you very much. Secretary Slater, Mr. Vice President, members 
of the administration, the Department of Transportation. Senator 
Moynihan, thank you for being here. Mayor Schwartz, thank you for being 
here.
    I spent a lot of time in the last few years talking about the need 
to build a bridge to the 21st century. And usually I'm talking in 
metaphorical terms that involve--[laughter]--balancing the budget, 
improving education for our children, preserving the environment as we 
grow the economy. Today we're talking about building bridges and roads 
and transit systems and highways in more literal terms. But I think it's 
important also to point out that as we invest in these bridges and roads 
and transit systems, we are also building a bridge to a cleaner 
environment. We're building a bridge from welfare to work. We're 
building a bridge to sustainable communities that can last and grow and 
bring people together over the long run.
    And that is the importance of the legislation that we submit to 
Congress today. It does the old-fashioned work of investing in America's 
infrastructure in a very important way, but it also ties those 
investments to the challenges we face today and tomorrow.
    I am proud that even as we have moved toward a balanced budget and 
cut our deficit by 63 percent in the last 4 years, we have still 
increased our Federal investment in

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transportation infrastructure, and I thank the Members of Congress who 
have supported that. [Applause] I feel compelled to disclose that I did 
not plant the person in the middle of the audience over here who started 
the applause. [Laughter] But if he's a Federal employee, he will 
immediately get a raise. [Laughter]
    Compared to 4 years ago, our highways and bridges are stronger, 100 
miles of new transit lines are under construction, and that is just part 
of the story. But it is a big part of why our economy has produced 
almost 12 million jobs in the last 4 years and one month, including over 
one million new jobs in construction.
    Today we're taking the next big step to maintain and modernize our 
transportation system and to make sure it is the best in the world. The 
``National Economic Crossroads Transportation Efficiency Act,'' as 
Secretary Slater said, known as NEXTEA, authorizes $174 billion over the 
next 6 years to improve our bridges, highways, and transit systems. It 
will create tens of thousands of jobs for our people, help move people 
from welfare to work, protect our air and water, and improve our highway 
safety.
    I'm especially proud that as we build our infrastructure, we are 
going to help build better lives for people who are moving off welfare. 
One of the biggest barriers facing people who move from welfare to work 
is finding transportation to get to their jobs, their training programs, 
their children's day care center.
    There was recently a study of Atlanta, Georgia, employment and the 
community surrounding Atlanta, pointing out that in entry-level jobs, an 
overwhelming percentage of those jobs--for example, in fast food 
restaurants--were held full time by inner-city adults who were low 
income people, if they were in Atlanta. If they were in the surrounding 
communities, it was just a little over 50 percent. Why? Because the 
people who wanted the full-time jobs had no way to get there. And you 
see that repeated over and over and over throughout the country.
    This bill provides $600 million over 6 years to help provide and pay 
for transportation, so that those who have been told by the Congress in 
the last session that they have to go to work are, in fact, able to 
reach the jobs that are out there. And I ask for the support of everyone 
for that.
    For too long, too many people have believed that strong 
transportation and a clean environment could not go hand in hand. This 
bill proves that that is not true. NEXTEA provides more than $1.3 
billion a year to reduce air pollution and millions more to preserve 
wetlands and open space. By helping communities to invest in cleaner 
methods of transportation, by supporting recreational trails, bike 
paths, and pedestrian walkways, by investing in scenic byways and 
landscaping, this bill strengthens our infrastructure while protecting 
and enhancing our precious natural resources. Make no mistake about it, 
this is one of the most important pieces of environmental legislation 
that will be considered by the Congress in the next 2 years. And I think 
it should be thought of in that way.
    This legislation also builds on our progress in making roads safer, 
increasing highway traffic safety funds by 25 percent, expanding our 
aggressive campaign to crack down on drunk and drugged driving.
    At its heart, therefore, as you can see and as Secretary Slater 
said, this bill is about more than our roads and our bridges. It's about 
cutting-edge jobs in commerce. It's about the infrastructure we need to 
prepare for them. It's about the responsibility of those moving from 
welfare to work and our responsibility to help them get there. It's 
about the community we share and the steps we have to take to make it 
both safer and cleaner for our children.
    The chance to reshape America's infrastructure comes along only once 
every 6 years. That means that this transportation bill literally will 
be our bridge into the 21st century. That's why we must work together to 
pass this legislation, to build on a long bipartisan position of 
cooperation in transportation policy to move our Nation forward. 
Together we can keep our economy on the right track and ensure that the 
track itself is strong enough for the enormous challenges and 
opportunities that lie ahead.
    I am excited about this legislation. I applaud all the people in the 
Department who put it together, and I'm very much looking

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forward to working with the Congress to make it a reality.
    Thank you very much.

Note: The President spoke at 9:55 a.m. in Room 450 of the Old Executive 
Office Building. In his remarks, he referred to Oklahoma City Councilman 
Mark Schwartz, president, National League of Cities.