Congressman Cleaver Calls for Creating New Jobs in Kansas City by Reauthorizing Needed Federal Transportation Projects

WASHINGTON, DC – Congressman Emanuel Cleaver, II (MO-05) spoke on the Floor of the House of Representatives Tuesday night on the critical importance of reauthorizing the nation's transportation funding. He highlighted the decisive role that transportation and infrastructure play in Americans' lives. Investments into transportation and infrastructure not only generate growth and jobs, but allow businesses to grow and communities to form around solid infrastructure. In just a few months, the highway and transit programs will expire, endangering our roads, bridges, transit systems, and everyone who uses them. Even sooner in late August, the Highway Trust Fund will become insolvent, dropping below the $4 billion funding level as soon as July. These are his remarks:

"Thank you, Mr. Blumenauer. Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the opportunity to be here particularly with Mr. Blumenauer and Mr. Garamendi, who spoke earlier, because they have long histories, longer, in fact, than I've been in the House, of pushing for transportation issues, and I think that this is a rather sad and somewhat tragic moment in our history.

"The Interstate Highway System was developed and put in place in 1956 and who would have thought that, when we entered into the 21st century, that the Congress of the United States would fail to keep that system in a top condition. The transportation bill affects Americans in every state of this country. A robust federal investment in transportation is an economic engine strengthening hundreds of communities and the thing that I have said often in my district, and frankly here in hearings, is that the best stimulus for the economy, the very best stimulus, is a transportation bill. And the weird thing is that the infrastructure is the backbone of our economy upon which businesses, families and communities thrive. So everyone is involved in this, red or blue, urban or rural, we all rely on transportation infrastructure. Ensuring economic prosperity is of paramount importance. It's not a Republican or a Democratic goal, but one that we all share.

"One of the things that troubled me most since I was elected to Congress ten years ago is that we have somehow narrowed everything down to the point where it is either red or blue. It's either Republican or Democratic. And I'm not sure how we can look at highway systems in terms of political tribalism.

"I served as mayor of Kansas City for eight years during the 1990's, and I can truthfully say that I had no idea on a day-to-day basis, based on what people said and did, who the Republicans were and who the Democrats were. We were all interested in trying to preserve Kansas City. And when there was a pothole in one of the streets in Kansas City, and Kansas City is a huge city, 322 square miles, to give you an idea, you can put San Francisco inside our city limits thirty times, or St. Louis three times. And so it's a huge city, but what we all were interested in is making sure, if there was a pothole, it was fixed. Because there was no Republican way of fixing it, there was no Democratic way of fixing it. We fixed the pothole.

"And so one of my great disappointments when I arrived here is that is a Republican or a Democrat philosophy on everything, including transportation infrastructure. Every dollar invested in Missouri transportation generates $4 of economic activity. And the Federal Highway Administration actually estimates that for every $1 billion spent on transportation, 34,000 direct and indirect jobs are created. Just think about that: 34,000 indirect and direct jobs are generated. And that's why I take every opportunity I can to talk about infrastructure and improvements to our roads and bridges and waterways, in my district and around the country. Investment in transportation infrastructure generates growth and jobs during initial design, construction, and then post construction. I can tell you that at a time like this when we're still having some healing needed with our economy, this is the time to pump it up. We don't need QE-4, we don't need to do another Dodd-Frank. We need to pass a transportation and infrastructure bill. That begins to help heal this economy, because it is a job creator.

"According to the American Society of Civil Engineers, 2013 report card, over 3,500 -- I hope people at home get this -- 3,500 bridges in Missouri alone are considered structurally deficient. 3,500 bridges in my state considered structurally deficient. And over 3,300 are considered functionally obsolete. That's 14% of the bridges in the state of Missouri are functionally obsolete. And every day, Kansas Citians and Missourians are driving over those bridges, and that's a tragedy. Because it's not only bad in Missouri, it's that way all over this country, all over the country. And this body is the only body that can address the problem.

"While I agree that states should step up to raise the necessary revenues and make crucial investments themselves, it should be no surprise that interstate commerce is a duty in which this Congress is uniquely poised to fulfill. We are a nation of red states and blue states, urban communities and rural communities; I represent both. While each state must make investments within the communities, the responsibility to ensure our nation remains connected and globally competitive falls on this Congress. Bridge after bridge after bridge is in danger. Highways are crumbling, and we cannot sit by and play partisan politics and argue while our infrastructure continues to deteriorate.

"And so, Mr. Speaker, I'm here tonight hoping that these words are not falling on the floor and will not be impactful. When we come in here like this, we're hoping that these words matter and that things can change and that they will change. It is my hope that this Congress will act and act quickly, because we cannot wait until the last minute going into August, when we will end up looking at a Highway Trust Fund becoming insolvent. And that means it will drop below the $4 billion funding level as soon as next month, July. We must do something, Mr. Speaker.

"I would like to thank Mr. Blumenauer for all the work that he's done on this issue over the years, and I hope that the American people will just saturate us with letters telling us, ‘pass a highway and transportation infrastructure bill.' Thank you, Mr. Blumenauer, I yield back."

A video of the Congressman's speech may be viewed on this YouTube page here.

Emanuel Cleaver, II is the U.S. Representative for Missouri's Fifth Congressional District, which includes Kansas City, Independence, Lee's Summit, Raytown, Grandview, Sugar Creek, Blue Springs, Grain Valley, Oak Grove, North Kansas City, Gladstone, Claycomo, and all of Ray, Lafayette, and Saline Counties. He is a member of the exclusive House Financial Services Committee and also serves as a Senior Whip of the Democratic Caucus.

For more information: Michele Rooney – michele.rooney@mail.house.gov (816) 820-9755