February 19, 2014 – A new federal transportation funding mechanism is beginning to move forward. Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.), chairman of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, speaking at a hearing on the Economic Importance of Maintaining Federal Investments in Our Transportation Infrastructure, said, “It is critical for our nation to continue investing in our aging infrastructure. Therefore, preserving the Highway Trust Fund needs to be our number one priority in this Committee, in other Committees, and in the Senate and the House. We must work together to find the sweet spot for a dependable, bipartisan source of funding for the Highway Trust Fund. A strong transportation system is vital to ensuring the economic competitiveness of the United States, and this requires maintaining federal investments in our transportation infrastructure. A report last year from the National Association of Manufacturers found that 70 percent of U.S. manufacturers believe America’s roads are getting worse and 67 percent believe that infrastructure is important enough to American businesses that all options to fund investments should be on the table. Roads and bridges are neither Democratic nor Republican, and I am proud of the bipartisan support on our Committee to report out a bill – I hope a 5 or 6 year bill.”
Getting into a ‘Boxer’ Match
