Washington, D.C. - Today, Senator Barbara Boxer (D-CA), Ranking Member of the Environment and Public Works Committee, sent a letter to Republican House Speaker John Boehner and Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi urging the House to pass a multi-year surface transportation bill without delay. The Senate passed its six-year authorization bill, the Developing a Reliable and Innovative Vision for the Economy Act (DRIVE Act), on July 30th.
The full text of the letter is below:
Dear Speaker Boehner and Democratic Leader Pelosi:
I was heartened to learn this morning that the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee has scheduled a markup for next week on the critical surface transportation bill.
I know you are completely aware that in 16 days, the Highway Trust Fund will no longer be authorized to function. This crisis requires all of us to join hands across the aisle to ensure we pass a multi-year surface transportation bill and do it in a way that is funded.
Despite the fact that we are going through some very difficult partisan moments in Congress right now, the Environment and Public Works Committee, on which I serve as Ranking Member under the leadership of Chairman Jim Inhofe, was able to vote unanimously out of Committee a good surface transportation bill. When the bill came to the Senate floor, it was combined with the work from the other committees of jurisdiction and involved substantial contributions by both Republicans and Democrats. On July 30th, the Senate passed the Developing a Reliable and Innovative Vision for the Economy Act (DRIVE Act), a six-year authorization of our surface transportation programs with three years of funding, by a vote of 65 to 34.
I served for 10 years in the House of Representatives, and I know the House can pass a strong transportation bill. Both Transportation Committee Chairman Shuster and Ranking Member DeFazio are seasoned legislators, and I know with your leadership we will get the job done. I stand ready to help.
Please call me at 202-224-8832 if you would like to discuss this further. We must pass a multi-year transportation bill without delay.
Sincerely,
Barbara Boxer
Ranking Member
