Post by bot on May 26, 2015 18:54:21 GMT -5
House Republicans Threaten Our Economic Competitiveness with Partisan, Anti-Science Legislation and More Manufactured Crises
MESSAGE FROM THE DEMOCRATIC WHIP
This week, I voted in support of a sixty-day extension to reauthorize the Highway Trust Fund ahead of its looming expiration on May 31. While a two-month extension was necessary, we cannot continue to kick the can down the road. I’m disappointed that House Republicans wasted the past ten months without taking any action on a long-term surface transportation bill that would provide certainty to American businesses wanting to create jobs and invest in our nation’s infrastructure. I will continue to urge my colleagues across the aisle to use the next sixty days to reach agreement on a sustainable, long-term bill that will strengthen our economic competitiveness and make necessary infrastructure repairs and improvements possible.
I was also disappointed that House Republicans wasted this past week on anti-science legislation that politicizes grant funding, disinvests in research and innovation, and has no chance of being signed into law. The COMPETES Act has historically received strong bipartisan support from Members of Congress and leaders in the scientific community, but the bill passed by Republicans this week does nothing to strengthen America’s role as an innovation leader. Instead of arbitrarily cutting programs based on ideological opposition, House Republicans should work with us to advance scientific discovery that will not only help our nation compete in the global marketplace, but also greatly benefit all Americans.
Now that we have prevented the expiration of the Highway Trust Fund, it is time to focus our attention on another crisis manufactured by the Republican party. On June 30, the Export-Import Bank's charter will expire, putting at risk the export financing assistance that helps thousands of small and medium-sized American businesses compete on a level playing field with businesses overseas. If House Republican leaders let the House work its will, reauthorization for the Export-Import Bank will pass with overwhelming bipartisan support. I hope Republican leaders will stop taking cues from their most extreme Members and reconsider their opposition to the Bank, which helps sell more American products abroad and supports American jobs here at home.