Chairmen DeFazio and Neal,

Thank you for your commitment to addressing the growing national crisis caused by our country’s decaying infrastructure.  We commend you for holding meaningful hearings to shine a light on the negative impact that chronic underinvestment in infrastructure is having on our economy and the safety of the motoring public. The time is now to move forward on much overdue infrastructure modernization.

If the United States is to continue to be that “shining city on a hill” in this century – that beacon of hope and opportunity around the world for anyone who aspires for a better life – then the roads and rails to that city cannot be marked with potholes, collapsing bridges, and failing track.  America’s economic and social strength throughout the 20th century was driven by investments in infrastructure championed by Presidents Roosevelt, Eisenhower, and Reagan.  However, that leadership position is now threatened by inaction on the much needed modernization of an infrastructure network essential to continue our nation’s global dominance.

The undersigned associations and organizations, representing the men and women of both American business and labor, urge you to act on the immediate need to fix our nation’s crumbling infrastructure.  We stand prepared to work side-by side with Congress and the Administration to get this much needed job done.

We urge you to move forward and take bold action now; waiting is not an option.  We urge you to look to the 35 state legislatures and governors who have shown it is not only possible to fund infrastructure, but it is a winning political issue. As you continue down this legislative process, we support these core basic principles for the infrastructure legislation you are developing:  

• It must address the current crisis and invest in the future;  
• It must be funded with real money, not gimmicks;  
• It must provide the vision and the bridge to ensure that transportation in five, 10 or 20 years has an appropriate system of user fees and funding that matches the vehicles and society of that future;  
• It must provide resiliency of our transportation networks; and  
• It must support the jobs of today and the future with funding and programs to match.

The last President to increase the federal user fee on fuel was Bill Clinton, and the last to directly appeal to the country to fund infrastructure was Ronald Reagan.  We call on you now to show that same political courage and offer you the strong support of our organizations and the millions of Americans who are depending on you.

Sincerely,