Statement of Administration Policy: H.R. 5021 - Highway and Transportation Funding Act of 2014

(House Rules)

(Rep. Camp, R-Michigan, and Rep. Shuster, R-Pennsylvania)

With surface transportation funding running out and hundreds of thousands of jobs at risk later this summer, the Administration supports House passage of H.R. 5021. This legislation would provide for continuity of funding for the Highway Trust Fund during the height of the summer construction season and keep Americans at work repairing the Nation's crumbling roads, bridges, and transit systems.

However, this legislation only provides a short-term fix to the Highway Trust Fund. It does not address the continued need to pass a long-term authorization bill that creates jobs and provides certainty for cities, States, and businesses. Congress should work to pass a long-term authorization bill well before the expiration date set forth in H.R. 5021. The President has been very clear that increasing investment in the Nation's infrastructure is a top priority. That is why the President laid out a vision for a 21st century surface transportation infrastructure, the GROW AMERICA Act, which would streamline project approval processes and implement innovative transportation policies that will make better use of taxpayer dollars while supporting millions of jobs and positioning the Nation's economy for lasting growth. That proposal is fully paid for through existing revenues and by reforming business taxes to help create jobs and spur investment while eliminating loopholes that reward companies for moving profits overseas.

The Administration is focused every day on what can be done to expand opportunity for every American. In today's economy, that means building a first-class infrastructure that attracts first-class jobs and takes American businesses' goods all across the world.