Quigley Statement on Highway Trust Fund Extension Bill

WASHINGTON — In response to the House of Representatives passage of the Highway Trust Fund Extension Bill, U.S. Representative Mike Quigley (IL-05), a member of the Appropriations Subcommittee on Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies (THUD), released the following statement:

"Yesterday, instead of providing the long term investments in transportation infrastructure that our country desperately needs, Congress once again kicked the can down the road with another short-term funding patch. Our country needs a long-term transportation bill. Our crumbling infrastructure is slowing economic growth, and without serious long-term investments we simply will not be able to compete in today's global economy. Despite the fact that every billion dollars invested in infrastructure creates 30,000 jobs, over the past 50 years, our investment in infrastructure has shrunk by half. While I voted for today's short-term extension to keep highway and transit projects around the country moving forward, now is the time for Democrats and Republicans in Congress to work together on the long-term transportation bill the American people are asking for."

Rep. Quigley is the only Illinois member currently serving on the House Appropriations Committee, which approves the federal government's annual spending levels for nearly all federal programs. He has prioritized Chicago-area infrastructure investments as a member of the Subcommittee on Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies (THUD). He has helped secure funding for Core Capacity grants that would benefit CTA, TIGER grants to benefit both highways and pedestrian projects, and completion of the McCook and Thornton reservoirs to reduce long-term flooding in Cook County.

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