Yesterday, the U.S. House of Representatives Transportation and Infrastructure Committee held a mark-up of the INVEST in America Act. U.S. Rep. Bruce Westerman (R-Ark.) issued the following statement:
"When my colleagues and I began marking up the House Democrats' transportation bill, I believed that we were all there to help the American people by advancing smart infrastructure investments. After 17 hours of amendment debate, the bill produced by the committee was entirely disappointing. Virtually every amendment vote was completely partisan, and it was clear that the Democrats' "My Way or the Highway" transportation bill was more about pleasing the left than investing in America.
Every Democrat voted against my amendment that would have ensured the elderly and disabled had easier access to federal lands. Every Democrat voted against my amendment to streamline the federal bureaucracy and strengthen environmental quality reviews. Every Democrat voted against banning the use of critical minerals mined using child labor. And every Democrat voted in favor of funding cities that choose to defund their police forces. That is just a small example of how common-sense improvements to the bill were rejected in favor of partisanship. It's not how good legislation is made, and we can do better.
Transportation bills are historically bipartisan affairs where we work together because we know that there are no blue or red roads; there are simply Americans trying to drive to work and school. The good news is that it's not too late to fix what's wrong with this bill or what's wrong with Congress. If Speaker Pelosi and President Biden agree to embrace true bipartisanship, I know we can find common ground on infrastructure spending. We can repair our roads, build new bridges, expand our railroads, and provide the framework for Americans to work hard and grow our economy. To achieve that goal, we need to stop having useless mark-ups where the outcome is predetermined by partisan leaders and have real discussions about how to advance America. I'm ready to go to work. I hope my Democratic colleagues are too."
Original source can be found here.
