AASHTO Journal, 23 October 2015
All 19 members of the Democratic Governors Association, in what the group called a “rare, unanimous letter” called on Congress to complete work on a major surface transportation bill.
“The time has come for Congress to reaffirm and revitalize the federal-state partnership in transportation by passing long-term surface transportation reauthorization legislation,” the governors wrote in an Oct. 19 letter to House and Senate leaders.
The governors emphasized the economic impact of transportation projects and of building an efficient system to move people and freight.
“Investments in transportation infrastructure are critical to supporting our communities and fostering long-term economic growth,” they said in the letter. “Conversely, failure to make these critical investments acts as a drag on the economy and threatens the safety and well-being of the citizens we all serve.”
The state executives highlighted their need for firmness in federal funding, and said that continued “short-run, patchwork solutions by Congress will not do.” Instead, they explained: “States need long-term certainty in order to make these key investments in significant transportation projects. That kind of certainty requires a robust and long-term federal commitment.”
The governors also pushed for Congress to invest more heavily. They told the congressional leaders that states have been working to boost their own project funding and to bring in private partners to help invest in infrastructure. “However, state governments and the private sector cannot do the job alone – the federal government is indispensable to this effort and must bring additional resources to the table.”
While the state officials said they “recognize and take seriously the magnitude of the infrastructure funding shortfall” that Congress confronts, “the current level of funding is insufficient to invest in America’s infrastructure in a way that strengthens our security and economy .”
Rather than just pass a bill that keeps spending even, they said: “We urge you to act this year to advance a long-term proposal that sets our country on a path to bring our infrastructure back to a state of good repair. This is a matter of the utmost importance. No less than the economic well-being of our nation and the safety of our citizens are at stake.”