| Washington, DC – Last night, the House Passed the Conference Report to the Fiscal Year 2007 supplemental spending bill for our troops in the War on Terror. While the bill has been hotly criticized for its timetabled withdrawal plan for our troops in Iraq, the bill also included a lesser known cut in transportation funding for Pennsylvania in the amount of $31 million dollars.
The Republican Delegation from Pennsylvania is concerned that the Democrat Leadership in the House pushed its members, including all their members from Pennsylvania, to vote in favor of the Conference Report knowing full well that the bill significantly cuts transportation funding for the Commonwealth.
“What this bill does is demonstrate the fiscal shell game that the Democrats are playing,” said Congressman Phil English (R-Erie). “In one hand they have lavish pork barrel and wavering Democrats, and in the other hand they are taking away $30 million from Pennsylvania’s transportation infrastructure.”
“The Democrats’ supplemental bill is nothing more than a political charade. On the surface, it ties the hands of our generals. Yet, layers deep, this measure cuts transportation funds directed to Pennsylvania. Our commonwealth’s been dealt a horrible hand by the Democrats and it’s disappointing to see Pennsylvania colleagues in lockstep with their leadership putting politics over our roads, infrastructure, and economy,” said Rep. John Peterson (R-Pleasantville), a member of the House Appropriations Committee. “The rug is literally being pulled out from underneath our commonwealth, in terms of vital transportation funding.”
“Transportation funding has no place being subject to the cutting block in an emergency war spending bill,” said Rep. Bill Shuster (R-Altoona), a member of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee. “Pennsylvania is primed for economic investment and relies on its transportation infrastructure to maintain its growth.”
“The supplemental bill was filled with pork to sway wavering, fence sitting Democrats,” Shuster added. “How many votes were bought at the price of Pennsylvania’s roads, railways and bridges? Robbing Peter to pay Paul is not good policy and the support shown by Pennsylvania’s Democrats for this bill proves that they are more concerned with following their party line than the needs of their constituents.”
"In their political song and dance attempting to tie the hands of our generals, the democratic leadership has crafted legislation which is shortsighted and extremely detrimental to our transportation needs in Pennsylvania,” said Rep. Jim Gerlach. “We should be looking to provide additional resources to our critical infrastructure not mortgaging its future to play political games."
"This cut to important transportation funding for our Commonwealth is one more bad provision in an already flawed piece of legislation," said Rep. Charlie Dent (R-Lehigh Valley), also a member of the House Committee on Transportation & Infrastructure. "This appropriations bill was already unacceptable in its effort to micromanage our troops from Capitol Hill and add billions in unnecessary spending. But this latest bill now makes Pennsylvanians pay for it with funds needed for highway safety. That's just wrong."
It is the hope of the Pennsylvania Republican Congressional Delegation that our all of our Commonwealth colleagues would join us in objecting to more cuts in Pennsylvania’s transportation future. |
