Obama’s Weekly Address: Hey House, Pass the Transport Bill!
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Official White House Photo by Pete Souza(WASHINGTON) — In his weekly address, President Obama prods House Republicans to pass a compromise transportation bill that he says will fund major construction projects and keep thousands of workers employed at work sites all across the country.
“Once again, we’re waiting on Congress,” Obama said. “You see, in a matter of days, funding will stop for all sorts of transportation projects. Construction sites will go idle. Workers will have to go home. And our economy will take a hit.”
This week, the president traveled the country pushing his all-of-the-above energy strategy, which calls for more biofuel production, more fuel-efficient cars, and more solar and wind power. Getting clean energy industries to locate here in the U.S. will require more than a commitment to new research and development, President Obama says.
“But it also requires us to build world-class transportation and communications networks, so that any company can move goods and sell products all around the world as quickly and efficiently as possible,” he says in the address.
The Senate has already passed the bill with the support of 52 Democrats and 22 Republicans.
“Now it’s up to the House to follow suit; to put aside partisan posturing, end the gridlock, and do what’s right for the American people,” he says. “This is common sense.”
Citing a new report which shows that 90 percent of construction and trade jobs created through investment in transportation projects are middle class jobs, the president concludes, “Those are exactly the jobs we need right now, and they’ll make the economy stronger for everybody.”
Copyright 2012 ABC News Radio