Manchin Votes for Bipartisan Transportation Bill to Create Jobs and Build America’s Future
Supports amendments that would help America use all domestic energy resources - including Keystone XL Pipeline and expanded domestic drilling - to put us on the path to energy independence
Senator Manchin also votes for ‘Buy American’ amendment to close loopholes that allow some infrastructure projects to be outsourced
Washington, D.C. — U.S. Senator Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) today joined a bipartisan group of Senators in passing the surface transportation bill, which will create good jobs, preserve our nation’s highway system and fund highway, transit, and safety programs for the next two years. The bill passed by a vote of 74-22.
“Investing in infrastructure is not a Democratic idea or a Republican idea, it’s a commonsense idea,” Senator Manchin said. “Every member of the House and every member of the Senate has a road or a bridge in their district or state in need of repair, and when we fund these types of projects, we are investing in the American worker and our country’s future. In a rural state like West Virginia, reliable infrastructure means that we can drive to work, take our kids to school and businesses can transport their products – and that is absolutely essential to keeping our economy growing. While I would have preferred to see a longer-range bill that would help states make long-term planning decisions, this measure makes important investments in our transportation infrastructure today.”
According to the Federal Highway Administration, 1,055 of West Virginia’s 7,033 bridges are structurally deficient and 1,523 are functionally obsolete.
Background:
Senator Manchin supported several amendments to approve the Keystone XL Pipeline from Canada, which both business and labor groups support because it would create thousands of American jobs and reduce our dependence on oil from hostile countries.
Senator Manchin also supported several measures that would help the country use all of our vast domestic resources to achieve energy independence. He supported efforts to expand domestic drilling, encourage the use of natural gas vehicles and invest in our natural gas infrastructure. Last week, Senator Manchin voted in favor of an amendment called the EPA Regulatory Relief Act, S.A. 1660, which would prevent the Environmental Protection Agency from prematurely shuttering industrial plants and destroying thousands of jobs.
In addition, Senator Manchin supported a “Buy American” amendment to the bill, S.A. 1819, that would strengthen provisions related to public infrastructure projects in current law. The amendment, offered by Senator Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio), would close a loophole in current law that has allowed public infrastructure projects to be outsourced.
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