Transportation

Just as we’ve been saying since the GOP released their Summer Agenda, today’s New York Times Editorial takes House Republicans to task for their misplaced priorities, taking up political bills instead of focusing on restoring our economy and creating jobs.

Some highlights:

Today, Speaker Boehner suggested the possibility of a six month extension of the highway bill, after his own House Republicans have failed to coalesce around a bill, despite months of deliberations.

Boehner then:

Now is the time to come together and pass a comprehensive highway bill, not another temporary extension, as Speaker Boehner suggested today as a possibility. House Republicans should not walk away from their responsibilities and kick the can down the road, without offering solutions. We should be focused on giving businesses certainty and reaching a bipartisan, bicameral agreement to move forward on a highway bill, especially after the Senate passed an overwhelmingly bipartisan bill in March.

From Washington D.C. to Washington State, the public outcry over the GOP’s stall tactics on the highway bill continues to grow. Despite the fact that 28,000 construction jobs were lost last month, House Republicans continue to threaten to walk away from negotiations unless they get absolutely everything they want.

Last week, House Republicans unveiled a summer legislative agenda that brings forward partisan bills that do not create jobs and will result in higher taxes for the middle class because of their refusal to ensure the wealthy pay their fair share.         

It is a rare day when we here in the Democratic Whip Press shop implore Republicans to heed the advice of conservative Senator James Inhofe. But as the impasse over the highway bill drags on, stranger things have happened. To recap how we got here: The Senate passed a bipartisan bill with an overwhelming 74 votes, while House Republicans floundered for months, unable to pass anything beyond a short term extension that needed significant Democratic support to pass.

After months of pursuing a partisan highway bill that went nowhere, I am pleased my Republican colleagues have finally moved to go to conference on a highway bill. The bipartisan Senate compromise bill passed with a vote of 74-22 over a month ago and ought to serve as the basis for any bill reported out by the conferees. We must come together quickly and pass a final bill in order to create economic opportunities and prevent the loss of thousands of construction jobs at a time when that industry has been hit hard by the recession.  I continue to urge Republicans to embrace the compromise Senate bill so we can make real progress toward advancing our recovery and investing in our long-term competitiveness.

Last week, House Republicans introduced a budget for fiscal year 2013 that is a repeat of the budget they put forward last year. It ends the Medicare guarantee while protecting tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans, and according to the Economic Policy Institute, puts four million jobs at risk. Instead of pursuing a budget that creates jobs, strengthens entitlements, reduces the deficit in a balanced way, and asks all Americans to contribute their fair share, the Republican budget makes the wrong choices.