In a letter to House leadership, Congresswoman Annie Kuster (NH-02) joined more than 100 Republican and Democratic colleagues in urging support for a long-term surface transportation bill. In the last decade, Congress has passed nine short-term extensions of highway and transit programs – including the current extension slated to expire in May—leading to uncertainty for local transportation departments and impeding economic growth around the nation. In the letter, Kuster calls on House leadership to bring forward a multi-year surface transportation bill that would put an end to this uncertainty.

“Our country needs robust transportation infrastructure to compete in the global economy, and American businesses rely heavily on our network of roads and bridges to move the products that make us competitive around the world,” said Congresswoman Annie Kuster. “Now is the time to end the cycle of short-term extensions of highway and transit programs, and pass a multi-year, long-term bill that will allow us to fix our failing roads and bridges, create reliable construction jobs for our workers, and help our economy grow. I was proud to join this bipartisan letter, and I call on House leadership to bring such a bill to the floor.”

In 2012, Congress passed the Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21^st Century Act (MAP-21) to fund our country’s surface transportation network, and it has since been extended beyond its original 2014 expiration. The last true long-term transportation bill, passed in 2005, was extended nine times before the enactment of MAP-21.  Short-term extensions do not provide the certainty local departments of transportation need when planning and undertaking significant, often long-term construction projects, and these projects and the construction jobs that go along with them are jeopardized by each threat of a funding lapse. 

MAP-21 is slated to expire on May 31, 2015. Congresswoman Kuster is strongly advocating in favor of a fully paid-for, long-term funding bill to put an end to the uncertainty and help our nation begin to repair its aging infrastructure, support local construction workers, and spur much-needed economic growth throughout our nation.

Kuster has long advocated for increased federal investment in New Hampshire’s transportation infrastructure. Last year when short-term funding threatened to run out, Kuster introduced the DRIVE Now Act, legislation that would have replenished the Highway Trust fund through the summer construction season to allow Congress time to pass a full, six-year reauthorization of the Highway Trust Fund and other Surface Reauthorization programs. She has also toured the I-93 construction project in Windham and the Route 10 bridge replacement project in Winchester, two projects that could have been threatened by lack of transportation funding, in order to highlight the urgent need to pass responsible funding legislation. 

The text of the letter sent by Kuster and her colleagues is below:

Dear Speaker Boehner and Minority Leader Pelosi:

Republicans and Democrats in the House of Representatives have consistently recognized the importance of a well-functioning and efficient surface transportation network in the United States.  We know that our country needs robust transportation infrastructure to compete in the global economy and that without such a network, the United States will be less able to realize future economic growth.

Very simply, we support transportation and infrastructure investment because our economy needs a national system to safely move people and deliver goods from place to place.  Our constituents in the manufacturing, construction, agriculture, and distribution sectors rely heavily on our network of roads and bridges to move the products that make us competitive around the globe.

We were pleased that Congress was able to enact the Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21^st Century Act (MAP-21) in 2012, but we are more troubled by the significant uncertainty that has plagued federal highway and transit policy in recent years.  In the last decade, there have been nine short-term extensions of highway and transit programs.  This kind of uncertainty impedes economic growth and makes it difficult for our country to fulfill its competitive potential.

The current extension of the Highway Trust Fund is slated to expire on May 31, 2015.  This is not a long way off.  We are united in our conviction that now is the time to end the cycle of short-term extensions that kick the can down the road by doing the work needed to pass a multi-year surface transportation reauthorization bill.  To make this happen, we support efforts to develop a long-term sustainable revenue source for our nation’s transportation network as soon as possible.  Otherwise, we will not be able to enact a transportation bill that truly meets our country’s economic and infrastructure needs.

We respectfully urge you to move a responsibly paid-for multi-year surface transportation bill that will support much needed economic growth throughout our nation.  We stand ready to work with you on this endeavor in the coming months.

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