releases: https://blumenauer.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/blumenauer-joined-leaders-transportation-commerce-labor-construction
Data license: MIT · Data source: dwillis/congress-press
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| https://blumenauer.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/blumenauer-joined-leaders-transportation-commerce-labor-construction | Blumenauer Joined by Leaders in Transportation, Commerce, Labor, Construction to Introduce UPDATE Act to Fund Infrastructure | 2013-12-04 | 2013 | 2013-12 | Democrat | House | OR | Earl Blumenauer | B000574 | blumenauer.house.gov | legacy | Washington, DC Today, Representative Earl Blumenauer (OR-03) along with leaders in the fields of transportation, labor, commerce, and construction introducedH.R. 3636The Update, Promote, and Develop America's Transportation Essentials (UPDATE) Act. This bill would phase in a 15 cent/gallon tax increase over the next three years on gasoline and diesel. The gas tax hasn't been increased since the beginning of the Clinton administration, said Blumenauer. Today, with inflation and increased fuel efficiency for vehicles, the average motorist is paying about half as much per mile as they did in 1993. It's time for Congress to act. There's a broad and persuasive coalition that stands ready to support Congress, including the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, National AFL-CIO, the construction and trucking industry, cyclists, professional groups, numerous associations of small and medium businesses, local governments, and transit agencies. We just need to give them something to support. In 2009, the Federal Highway Administration estimated that over $70.9 billion worth of repairs were needed just to maintain safe infrastructure; that number has since increased The American Society of Civil Engineers estimates that surface transportation in the US needs over $2 trillion of investment in order to remain economically competitive. In recent years, Congress has added to the General Fund deficit by transferring over $50 billion of General Fund revenue to the Highway Trust Fund in order to keep it afloat. In order to maintain current funding in the following years, the Highway Trust Fund will need almost $15 billion a year in addition to current gas tax receipts. Continuing down the current path will mean a 30% drop in federal transportation spending by 2024. The UPDATE Act would raise around $170 billion over ten years. Instituting a reasonable gas tax increase now provides the revenues Democrats say they want with a form of a user fee which historically has been acceptable to Republicans including Ronald Reagan, who increased the gas tax by a nickel a gallon in 1982, said Blumenauer. Addressing the infrastructure deficit, stabilizing transportation funding, and helping America's all-too-slow economic recovery is critical if we want a livable and economically prosperous country in the years to come. Statements of Support: "Strong national infrastructure investment is vital to keep Oregon and the U.S. economically competitive but maintenance and repair needs have risen to a level that threatens a healthy economy. I applaud Congressman Blumenauer for offering the UPDATE Act to stabilize our transportation network and keep Oregon's business climate moving forward." -Ryan Deckert, President, Oregon Business Association We need strong federal investment to fix the infrastructure crisis here in Oregon and across the nation. I support Congressman Blumenauer's Update Act, which will help us rebuild America and create thousands of family wage jobs for working men and women.John Mohlis, Executive Secretary, Oregon State Building and Construction Trades Council "Congressman Blumenauer's UPDATE Act provides a much needed boost to our nation's surface transportation infrastructure. UPS alone travels more than 2.3 billion miles on America's roads each year, connecting businesses, consumers and individuals in every state. Increasing the federal motor fuels tax is a long-overdue proposal to provide the dedicated funding needed to maintain our highways, intermodal connections and other related infrastructure projects. Investing in and growing our nation's transportation infrastructure is essential to remaining competitive in today's increasingly global economy." Laura Lane, Global Public Affairs President, United Parcel Service On behalf of the Association of Equipment Manufacturers and our more than 900 member companies, we applaud Congressman Blumenauer for his leadership in finding solutions and building bipartisan support to address our infrastructure needs. The UPDATE Act of 2013 could spur economic growth and competitiveness while improving our nation's ability to efficiently move goods and people. Investing in our national infrastructure is critical to keeping America competitive, and we appreciate Congressman Blumenauer taking these important steps to ensure we can reauthorize the federal highway bill for the long-term.Rick Patek, Group President, Astec Industries, and Chairman, Association of Equipment Manufacturers With public transit ridership at record highs, and cars and trucks crowding our roads, our nation's transportation network is in dire need of repair and maintenance. As happened in this week's deadly New York commuter crash, more lives will be lost, and the mobility necessary for a thriving economy will be compromised unless we invest heavily in our nation's public transit infrastructure. Congressman Blumenauer has introduced two bills that dedicate critical funding to public transit, which is the lifeblood of our economy. Public transit creates good jobs, safely delivers customers to businesses and people to work, and helps the environment. It literally moves our economy and it's time for Congress to approve these bills to ensure our nation's transportation systems have the critical financial support they need. Larry Hanley, International President, Amalgamated Transit Union Our transportation network is key to the long-term economic competitiveness and growth ofourcities, towns, and suburbs. Communities across the country are stepping up and raising additional revenue to meet their transportation challenges but cannot solvetheseneeds alone. The UPDATE Act takes the important step of ensuring communities will have a strong, reliable federal partner as they invest in their economic future. John Robert Smith, Chair, Transportation for America, former Mayor of Meridian, MS "Getting America to Work applauds Congressman Blumenauer's efforts to provide a desperately needed increase in funding fortransportation infrastructure--increasing the safety of public transit riders, while also boosting the economy. At a time when ridership is on the rise, while infrastructure investment is on the decline it's critical that members of Congress follow Representative Blumenauer's lead and work to bring our nation's transit systems into a state of good repair." Getting America to Work Coalition Federal investment in transportation infrastructure plays an essential role in protecting public health and safety, promoting commerce and keeping America economically competitive. Unfortunately, transportation funding is not keeping pace with maintenance and improvement needs, and the balance of the Highway Trust Fund will be depleted in Fiscal Year 2015. The American Council of Engineering Companies (ACEC) applauds Congressman Blumenauer for introducing legislation that will avoid debilitating cuts in highway and transit investment with predictable, sustainable and growing revenue from user fees, an effective model that has long enjoyed significant public support. All options must be on the table as Congress considers how to fund our transportation system. The time to act is now, before the crisis worsens. Then we can further study our long-term options, such as a transition to a vehicle-miles-traveled fee or other alternatives. American Council of Engineering Companies In concurrence with the Highway Materials Group's funding principles for the next highway surface transportation authorization, the group supports Congressman Blumenauer's proposed bills that would continue funding the Highway Trust Fund through user fees, while bolstering awareness about the impending Highway Trust Fund insolvency. Due to the magnitude of importance of the issue, increasing the gas tax and implementing a vehicle miles traveled fee are only two of the numerous options we support to increase revenues into the HTF. We commend the congressman for taking this bold step toward solving the dire problem facing the nation's surface transportation infrastructure in the months and years ahead. Highways Materials Group The American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) applauds Rep. Blumenauer on his bold leadership and strongly endorses the Update, Promote and Develop America's Transportation Essentials (UPDATE) Act and the Road User Fee Pilot Project.This bill represents a major step forward in addressing how to fix America's surface transportation infrastructure. The nation's infrastructure is facing an increasing number of challenges. In ASCE's2013 Report Card for America's Infrastructure,a comprehensive assessment of infrastructure across 16 sectors, the cumulative GPA for the nation's infrastructure rose slightly to a D+ from a D in 2009. ASCE looks forward to working with Rep. Blumenauer and all members of Congress to advance this important legislation that will ensure long-term, sustainable funding for the Highway Trust Fund. Patrick Natale, Executive Director, American Society of Civil Engineers We applaud Congressman Blumenauer in strong support of the Update Act, a responsible way to begin addressing the infrastructure crisis in our country. Investing in transportation will help us rebuild America, fire up our economy and increase our global competitiveness creating jobs and opportunity for tens of thousands of our nation's workers and their families. Terry O'Sullivan, General President, Laborers' International Union of North America This proposal provides the kind of long-term funding solutions that virtually every commission, including Simpson-Bowles, has said are needed to repair and upgrade our aging transportation network. What the Congressman understands is that simply talking about the need to find new sources of revenue won't help until we actually identify, support and enact them. Stephen E. Sandherr, CEO, Associated General Contractors of America It is imperative that Congress address the impending shortfall for federal transit and highway programs in FY2015. Our federal government must increase transportation investment to address our aging infrastructure and provide the transportation options that are necessary for our country to prosper and remain economically competitive. Michael Melaniphy, President, American Public Transportation Association | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z |