The state of the U.S.’s infrastructure since the recession hit in 2008 has been steadily decaying.
In a May 14 speech at the foot of the Tappan Zee Bridge, President Barack Obama called for congress to pass a $302 billion transportation bill, according to Newsday. The president argued that the bill would support hundreds of thousands of jobs and repair the nation’s roads and bridges.
“Building a world class transportation system is one of the reasons America became an economic superpower in the first place,” the president said.
In his speech, Obama pressed House Republicans to support the four-year transportation package, who have recently called for a $723 million cut to the Department of Transportation and a $500 million reduction to the Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery, according to the news source.
The federal highway program relies on a tax of 18.4 cents on every gallon of gas that is sold, bringing in $37.4 billion in 2013, according to Fox Business. However, the highway fund is set to run out by this August.
In a May 14 interview, Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, explained to the news source that the amount of money coming in isn’t the problem, it is where that money is going. For this reason, he is proposing a bill that would bring the federal gas tax down to 3.7 cents per gallon over the next five years.
In response to Lee’s bill, Rep. Earl Blumenauer, D-Oregon, told the news source, “We can’t afford that in our fragile economic recovery. It’s time to look for serious solutions to fund our transportation infrastructure, not introduce bills that would undercut the federal/state partnership and make the problem worse, not better.”
Neither plan is likely to make it through Congress before the elections in November.
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