WASHINGTON – President Barack Obama said Tuesday if Congress does not act soon — by the end of this summer — the Transportation Fund used for road and bridge construction will be depleted, leaving 700,000 jobs at risk.
Obama spoke near the Georgetown waterfront in the summer heat to about 300 people. His complaint: Republicans in Congress are not dealing with issues that the president says would help the middle class. He sharply criticized the GOP for “stacking the deck for those on the top.”
In June, Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx reported that his agency’s Highway Trust Fund would run out of money in late August. Department of Transportation
According to Obama, about 120,000 vehicles cross the Washington D.C. bridges that loomed in the background behind him during his speech. The president said that construction workers would be toiling on those bridges over the Potomac River in the near future to keep them safe — “even for politicians to cross.”
Obama suggested that the money could be found for infrastructure work if tax loopholes were closed for companies that ship jobs overseas. Once again criticizing Congress, he said lawmakers’ do-nothing behavior “keeps the top ok and gives nothing to the middle class.”
The crowd applauded when Obama said he is doing as much as he is allowed to do under his authority as president, mentioning efforts toward helping students with their loans, and pushing to raise the minimum wage, issues that middle-class Americans are dealing with.
The president poked fun several times, using Republicans in Congress as his target. Obama said he won’t apologize for trying to do something, while Congress does nothing. “It’s not like they’re busy with other stuff,” he quipped.
The president urged U.S. companies to invest in manufacturing in the USA, saying, let us keep the jobs here and “reward hard work for every American.”
Although there have been many suggestions made by members of Congress in how to find the funds needed for infrastructure maintenance work to continue, no agreement has been reached on Capitol Hill.
Obama paused to reflect on what could have been accomplished in recent years with bipartisan cooperation.
“Fixing bridges and roads – why is this controversial? It’s never been in the past.” He said. “It’s not happening because of politics.”