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Highway Trust Fund Reauthorized for Until End of Year

July 16, 2015

Highway Trust Fund Reauthorized for Until End of Year

Beatty urges long-term bill

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Congresswoman Joyce Beatty (OH-03) supported a five-month extension Highway Trust Fund reauthorization that will fund the nation's surface transportation projects through December 18, 2015. The passage of H.R. 3038 by a vote of 312-119 comes days before the fund is scheduled to expire on July 31, 2015.

"I supported this extension because it is better than leaving our nation and 660,000 American construction jobs in limbo, but am disappointed that, once again, Republican Leadership kept our nation stuck in small, short-term patches that fail to address our nation's crumbling roads and bridges—even as other nations advance their infrastructure by leaps and bounds," said Rep. Beatty. "I will find it hard to keep kicking the can down the road come December because it shortchanges and endangers the American people. This is the 34th short-term extension in the last six-years and I certainly hope that Congress will complete the work on a comprehensive, strategic, and long-term bill before we encounter the next transportation funding cliff five months from now."

The $8 billion short-term extension will allow the Department of Transportation to continue reimbursing states for surface transportation projects through mid-December 2015. Yet another short-term reauthorization continues House Republicans commitment of failing to address America's crumbling roads or fix the Nation's vast infrastructure problems.

Congresswoman Beatty recently joined 48 Democratic Members of Congress in supporting a solution to the July 31, 2015 transportation cliff by signing onto the Generating Renewal, Opportunity, and Work with Accelerated Mobility, Efficiency, and Rebuilding of Infrastructure and Communities throughout America Act (GROW AMERICA Act), H.R. 2410. The legislation would provide $478 billion in funding over six years, a 45 percent increase for highways, bridges, public transportation, highway, and rail programs.

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