Vice President Joe Biden kicked off the week designed to raise awareness and increase the funding in transpiration on Monday in a webcast with U.S. Secretary of Transportation Anthony Foxx.
Discussions and seminars continue throughout the week. You can see a full calendar of events here. And while federal transportation funding remains in jeopardy, several events highlight the need to spend more money on America’s infrastructure—such as Thursday’s Transportation Funding and the Future of the Highway Trust Fund.
The Hill reports Biden and many of those participating in Infrastructure Week plan to use it to push President Barack Obama’s $478 billion Grow America infrastructure bill.
Foxx said the DOT would use the week to tell Congress that another short-term extension isn’t the answer.
“Our nation’s economy and the way we live both depend on having strong infrastructure,” Foxx said in a USDOT press release. “But the truth is that our current levels of investment are falling short of what is needed just to keep our existing system safe and in good condition. To make matters worse, over the past six years, Congress has passed 32 short-term measures that have stripped away the ability of state and local governments to complete big projects.”
Foxx will begin the week in Tennessee before he travels to Silicon Valley, Los Angeles and Des Moines, Iowa.
The Obama Administration’s push this week follows the American Road & Transportation Builders Association (ARTBA) and the American Public Transportation Association (APTA) running 30-second ads criticizing lawmakers for not finding a solution for transportation funding. APTA was joined by Trucking Moves America Forward as one of the many sponsors of Infrastructure week.
“Trucking companies cannot afford any more delays. Congress must fully fund the federal Highway Trust Fund to safeguard our nation’s economic and national security,” TMAF co-chairman Kevin Burch said.
For more about Infrastructure Week, including a calendar of events, visit www.infrastructureweek.org.
