Newsroom: Press Releases
Lautenberg: GOP Fails Workers Again, Blocks
Infrastructure Bill That Would Put Hundreds of
Thousands of Americans Back to Work
Senate Republicans Block Third Jobs Bill in Past Three
Legislative Weeks
Lautenberg Press Office 202-224-3224
Thursday, November 03,
2011
WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Frank R. Lautenberg (D-NJ) today slammed Senate Republicans for obstructing a proposal that would put hundreds of thousands of Americans back to work rebuilding aging roads, bridges, and airports across the country. The “Rebuild America Jobs Act” is the third job creation legislation that Senate Republicans have blocked in the past three legislative weeks.
“This is the third time in the past month that Senate Republicans have blocked a bill that would put Americans back to work,” said Senator Lautenberg. “We have a jobs crisis in America but Senate Republicans would rather play political games than do what’s right for the country. It’s time for Republicans to put the middle class ahead of the millionaires. America’s crumbling infrastructure is in desperate need of repair and this bill would put people back on the job rebuilding America’s bridges roadways, railways, and runways.”
The “Rebuild America Jobs Act” would provide $50 billion for highway, rail, mass transportation, and aviation improvement projects, helping to modernize our infrastructure, which now receives a grade of “D” from the American Society of Civil Engineers. The bill is fully paid for by a 0.7 percent surtax on income over $1 million. The legislation would also establish a National Infrastructure Bank, capitalized with $10 billion that would leverage private and public capital to invest in infrastructure projects around the country. The infrastructure bank builds on a proposal introduced earlier this year by Senator Lautenberg and Senator Rockefeller.
This is the second component of President Obama’s “American Jobs Act.” Last month, Senate Republicans blocked consideration of that bill, as well as the Teachers and First Responders Back to Work Act, which would have kept 400,000 teachers in the classroom and thousands of first responders on the job.
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