Washington, D.C. – U.S. Representative Nick J. Rahall (D-WV), top Democrat on the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, tonight released the following statement in response to President Barack Obama’s address to a Joint Session of Congress on jobs:
“In the bipartisan spirit that has been a hallmark of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee for decades, I invited Chairman John Mica to sit next to me during tonight’s address. We may have walked out of the chamber with different views on the President’s proposals, but I remain committed to working together in a bipartisan fashion.
“The Nation’s roads and bridges and water systems are needs that even Americans of vastly different political leanings agree deserve greater Federal investment – not less. After all, the jobs created by such investment are not Republican jobs or Democratic jobs – they are American jobs.
“Later this month, our Nation’s surface transportation programs will expire. We simply cannot afford to allow petty partisan bickering to prevent renewing these programs; that could jeopardize nearly one million private-sector jobs over the next year. We can boost our economic competitiveness and trim the budget, but both will require concerted thought, backbone, and a willingness to compromise and reach a consensus that lives beyond the seating arrangements at tonight’s address.”
-30-