LaHood: Supercommittee’s Failure Will Mean Cuts To Transportation Programs
After the congressional "supercommittee" failed to come to an agreement on cutting $1.2 trillion from the federal budget over the next ten years, Department of Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood issued a statement urging lawmakers not to make cuts to infrastructure programs.
"When times are tough, Americans have always come together to accomplish big things," LaHood said. "It's disappointing that some in Congress haven't been willing to do the same. Because the supercommittee failed to reach an agreement, we now face across-the-board cuts to programs that are critical to rebuilding our crumbling transportation infrastructure and putting Americans back to work."
LaHood went on to urge Congress to strike a bipartisan deal when they return to Washington in December.
"The American people want commonsense, bipartisan solutions that take a balanced approach to reducing the deficit while protecting critical transportation investments that create jobs and allow our economy to grow. When Congress comes back next month, I urge them to set aside politics and get to work on a bipartisan plan that will allow us to live within our means, while also meeting our responsibility to rebuild America's critical transportation infrastructure."
"We are in full agreement with Secretary LaHood," said ABA President and CEO Peter Pantuso. "Congress must come to an agreement on deficit reduction when they get back to town next month. Across-the-board cuts to transportation infrastructure programs will only serve to weaken our economy"