Terry O’Sullivan, general president of LIUNA – the Laborers’ International Union of North America – made the following statement June 18 on hearings regarding investment in the Highway Trust Fund:
This week’s hearings in the House Ways and Means Committee and the Senate Finance Committee to explore how to provide long-term investment for our nation’s transportation infrastructure are positive steps. But action must not end with just hearings and another damaging short-term patch of the Highway Trust Fund. Congress must do its full job – craft a bill, responsibly pay for it and pass it.
The safety of our roads and bridges, the competitiveness of our nation and the good jobs transportation infrastructure creates are essential. They are worth paying for.
We hope Congressional leadership stays focused on the urgent needs, rather than failing to do their job because of favor for only one of many viable investment mechanisms. If it must be done – and it must be – all responsible means must stay on the table. It remains true that since the inception of our Interstate Highway System, the federal gas tax has provided the backbone of resources for transportation investment, and if adjusted, it still can.
