Equipment Dealer and Former Governor Pushes for Highway Bill Action
Former three-term Colorado governor Roy Romer, owner of construction and farm equipment dealerships, urged congressional leaders to lay out a clear timetable for reauthorizing the federal highway program. Speaking on behalf Associated Equipment Distributors last week, Romer said it was irrational for Congress to delay investing in the roads and bridges that hold the nation and its economy together.
Romer’s call to action came during a Capitol Hill press conference at which leading Democratic senators including Minority Leader Harry Reid (Nev.), Richard Durbin (Ill.), Chuck Schumer (N.Y.) and Barbara Boxer (Calif.) joined with senior business and labor representatives to protest the uncertainty surrounding road, bridge and transit investment.
The Highway Trust Fund (HTF) is set to go broke in August and the latest highway authorization extension expires at the end of July. Along with threatening infrastructure projects and construction jobs, the program’s collapse would put 4,000 equipment dealership jobs at risk nationwide and jeopardize equipment sales. Romer highlighted the impact of the uncertainty surrounding the program, saying that it has become impossible for states to plan and harder for construction firms to invest in workers and equipment.
He also called all on lawmakers from both parties to work together to move a highway bill quickly through the legislative process. Addressing the gathered group of senators, Romer said, “I don’t view this as a Democratic or Republican issue. This is an issue on which America is asking you to show leadership to invest for the benefit of our families. We need this bill now.”
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