U.S. Rep. John L. Mica (R-FL), the Republican Leader of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, has questioned whether infrastructure stimulus funding is being used effectively to create jobs and provide the economic boost for which it was intended.
The Committee held a hearing today to examine the status of transportation and infrastructure project funding provided under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.
“We are still in the earlier stages of the process, but I am concerned that some projects being funded with Recovery Act money have done little to help create jobs and jumpstart the economy,” Mica said. “Some projects, not all within the programs overseen by this committee, are of questionable merit and appear to miss the target on stimulus.
“Infrastructure investment creates jobs, and I support this kind of investment as a stimulus. However, we must pay close attention to who is receiving stimulus money, make sure that these dollars are well-directed, and hold funding recipients accountable for its use.We must ask, is this so-called stimulus funding being used to help Americans who badly need jobs, or is this funding being used to benefit private companies, fund long-term studies rather than ready-to-go projects, and pay for projects that do nothing to employ people?
