Rep. Mike Kelly (R-Pa.,) gave a five-minute oral statement during the House Ways & Means Committee’s Members’ Day Hearing on Tuesday, June 4. Kelly’s testimony focused on the need for infrastructure investment in his district in northwestern Pennsylvania and across the United States, according to the National Stone, Sand and Gravel Association.
“There is a lot of work to do if we’re going to prepare America for the 21st century economy,” said Rep. Kelly. “A key component is going to be infrastructure upgrades.”
Rep. Kelly stated that he was concerned about not being able to get products to consumers in a timely manner. His testimony compared U.S. infrastructure to an old car saying that no matter how much “duct tape, bailing wire or glue you use, you have to get it fixed or off the road to compete with traffic.”
Failure to properly fund the Highway Trust Fund (HTF) has left the fate of the nation’s infrastructure in the balance, according to Infrastructure for America. “America needs Congress to act now to create reliable, robust and routine funding that offers certainty about fixing our roads and bridges. Without action from Congress, the HTF will be broke, as its out-of-date framework has failed to keep up with existing demands for growth and repair,” the group stated.
According to the Transportation Construction Coalition (TCC), Congress must provide an expanded and sustainable way to pay for future HTF-supported investments that keep pace with our nation’s growing infrastructure; and expand HTF resources for projects that ease traffic congestion, improve safety and support long-term economic growth.
“A generational opportunity to turn blueprints and big thinking into a 21st century infrastructure network stands before us. Congress and the president need to get moving,” TCC stated.