Smucker Opposes Partisan Transportation & Infrastructure Legislation

WASHINGTON, DC —Today, Rep. Lloyd Smucker (PA-11) voted against the partisan H.R. 2, during a markup in the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee. After consideration of many amendments, Rep. Smucker opposed the legislation and issued the following statement:

"The legislation passed by the Democrats on the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure today, was an exercise in partisanship and was not a serious effort to address and improve our nation's surface transportation infrastructure. The bill and amendment process fly in the face of years of precedent of bipartisan cooperation in this committee. The Democrats' messaging bill, which was passed on a party-line vote, will not become law.

"I offered a number of amendments today to improve the underlying legislation, including bipartisan proposals which I offered with my colleagues on the other side of the aisle. While I appreciate that Chairman DeFazio accepted a handful of non-controversial amendments offered by Republicans, including one of my own, the fact is this legislation was drafted without consulting with Republicans and the overwhelming majority of amendments offered in good faith were rejected. Rather than engaging in earnest and cooperative policymaking, today's failure to advance meaningful legislation endangers the health of our transportation infrastructure.

"I remain committed to supporting legislation which would effectively invest in improving our transportation infrastructure, in a way which supports both rural and urban communities and provides states additional flexibility to meet their unique needs without onerous mandates," said Smucker.

Four amendments offered by Rep. Smucker received a vote during the markup, including:

• Providing flexibility to the Federal Aviation Administration's Airport Improvement Fund Program to facilitate innovative financing of airport projects at rural or small airport facilities. This amendment was adopted by unanimous consent.
• Designating the United States Department of Transportation headquarters in Washington, DC after the 4^th Secretary of Transportation and fellow Pennsylvanian William T. Coleman, Jr. who was the second African-American to serve in a Cabinet-level position in former President Gerald Ford's Administration. This amendment mirrors legislation introduced by Rep. Dwight Evans (PA-3). This amendment was considered in an en bloc amendment and was not agreed to in a voice vote.
• Providing farmers and ranchers more flexibility when transporting live animals and perishable goods, which mirrors legislation introduced by Rep. Smucker and Rep. Craig (MN-2). The legislation is supported by many national agricultural organizations. This amendment was considered in an en bloc amendment and was not agreed to in a voice vote.
• Investing in rail infrastructure, mirroring bipartisan legislation introduced with Reps. Kuster (NH-2) and Pappas (NH-1), makes critical improvements to the Railroad Rehabilitation and Improvement Financing Program (RRIF) and unleashes billions of dollars for investments in passenger, short line and regional rail. This amendment was considered in an en bloc amendment and was not agreed to in a voice vote.