Washington, DC — Congressman Jim Himes (CT-4) today urged Congress to continue working to find a long-term solution to sustain the Highway Trust Fund. Himes supported the Senate-passed bill to immediately replenish the Highway Trust Fund through Dec. 19, 2014, to ensure Congress works to pass a long-term transportation measure this year. Without an extension by Aug. 1, the U.S. Department of Transportation has warned that it will have to start cutting funding for construction projects across the nation, putting up to 700,000 jobs at risk.
“It is deeply disappointing that partisan gridlock has prevented Congress from coming together on a bipartisan basis to provide a sustainable, long-term solution for America’s infrastructure and highway system. While I strongly prefer a long-term fix now, the Senate bill to extend the Highway Trust Fund will sustain thousands of construction projects across Connecticut that are creating jobs and improving our roads, bridges and mass transit. It also forces Congress to move quicker to find a multi-year solution that invests in our crumbling infrastructure to create jobs, strengthen our economy and keep people safe.”