BlueGreen Alliance | Senate Missed Opportunity to Create Jobs, Increase U.S. Competiveness

Senate Missed Opportunity to Create Jobs, Increase U.S. Competiveness

After the Senate failed to pass the America Jobs Act, BlueGreen Alliance Executive Director David Foster called it yet another missed opportunity to revitalize our economy and put people to work building a more efficient and competitive United States.

November 3, 2011

WASHINGTON, D.C. (November 3, 2011) After the Senate failed to pass the Rebuild America Jobs Act, the BlueGreen Alliance released the following statement from Executive Director David Foster:

“It’s disappointing the Senate failed to pass the Rebuild America Jobs Act today. These infrastructure investments would jumpstart job creation by making our highway systems more efficient, providing more transit options, and improving America’s rail network.

“America spent trillions of dollars building the world’s best transportation system, but China and Europe are leaving us in the dust in terms of modernizing infrastructure – the backbone of a strong economy. Compared to the U.S., Europe spends at least twice their proportion of GDP, and China at least three times, on infrastructure investments as they position themselves to compete in the world economy.

“Meanwhile, the Senate Republicans offered an alternative that not only underwhelmed when it comes to the transportation investments we need, but it included egregious measures that gut important health, safety, and consumer protection regulations. Most notably, the alternative incorporated the odious REINS Act and the Regulatory Time-Out Act, two measures that do nothing for job creation, but do a whole lot of damage to decades of progress.

“Today’s vote on the Rebuild America Jobs Act was a missed opportunity. However, Congress can act swiftly on other jobs bills, including the surface transportation and Federal Aviation Authority reauthorizations, to prove to Americans that they are actually committed to solving this nation’s jobs crisis.”