January 06, 2011

Senator Joe Manchin Urges Incoming Speaker Boehner to Rethink Jobs-Killing Rule Change

In Letter, Manchin Pushes Boehner to Reconsider Proposed Rule Change to Highway Funding

Washington, D.C. – Senator Joe Manchin (D-WV) today delivered a letter to incoming Speaker John Boehner outlining his grave concerns with a proposed rule change that will threaten thousands of jobs and our economic recovery by jeopardizing annual highway and transit funding. Senator Manchin urged Speaker Boehner to reconsider the proposed change.
 
Selected excerpts of the letter are below, followed by full text.
 
“West Virginia has several critical transportation and infrastructure projects in the works that will be crippled without the stable source of funding that the Highway Trust Fund has successfully provided for decades. Both the Corridor H – a critical evacuation route for national defense needs – and King Coal Highway projects rely on a consistent stream of funding, and both are essential to the productivity and long-term economic growth of our state and the region.”
 
“I urge you to consider the consequences this rule change would have on our fragile national economy, especially as the U.S. Chamber of Commerce is predicting that it would trigger major job losses. At a time when so many Americans are looking for jobs, they should not have to endure another major economic setback – particularly one that would threaten so many jobs and the fabric of our national transportation infrastructure,” Manchin wrote.
 
Full text:
 
Dear  Speaker Boehner:
 
I wish you the best today as you become Speaker of the House and express my sincere desire to work together to create jobs and grow our economy, as well as on issues where we can find common ground.
 
To that end, I am writing to express my grave concerns over one of the first actions of 112th Congress: a proposed rule change that will threaten our economic recovery by jeopardizing annual highway and transit funding. The proposed rule change will have serious and dramatic adverse consequences on the people of West Virginia, your state, as well as every other state in the country.
 
To be clear, West Virginia has several critical transportation and infrastructure projects in the works that will be crippled without the stable source of funding that the Highway Trust Fund has successfully provided for decades. Both the Corridor H – a critical evacuation route for national defense needs – and King Coal Highway projects rely on a consistent stream of funding, and both are essential to the productivity and long-term economic growth of our state and the region.
 
The American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials estimates that West Virginia’s highway budget could be cut nearly 20 percent if the proposed rule is implemented. While West Virginia’s budget is in better shape than most, no state can afford an irresponsible cut that would require replacing nearly one out of every five federal transportation dollars at the last minute.
 
In addition, I urge you to consider the consequences this rule change would have on our fragile national economy, especially as the U.S. Chamber of Commerce is predicting that it would trigger major job losses. At a time when so many Americans are looking for jobs, they should not have to endure another major economic setback – particularly one that would threaten so many jobs and the fabric of our national transportation infrastructure.
 
I strongly urge you, on behalf of the people of West Virginia and all Americans, to reconsider changing this rule.
 
With warmest regards,
Senator Joe Manchin III
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