WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today during a Senate Budget Committee hearing on the President’s Fiscal Year 2015 budget proposal, U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine), a proponent of efforts to upgrade America’s infrastructure and transportation system, welcomed comments from the Director of the Office of Management and Budget Sylvia Burwell that America should focus greater attention on repairing and maintaining its aging infrastructure.

“I was encouraged by Director Burwell’s statement today that we must pay now to upgrade America’s aging infrastructure network or we’ll end up paying a greater price later. There is broad consensus on both sides of the aisle that the state of America’s infrastructure is only getting worse and that action must be taken to address the issue.

“From the Administration’s four year-proposal to rebuild roads, railways, and public transit, to bills before Congress, we must work together to provide for an immediate increase in funding for transportation projects, especially in light of public funding shortfalls, low interest rates, and perhaps most importantly, the thousands of unemployed Americans who could go to work today on these vital projects.”

Senator King is a cosponsor of the Partnership to Build America Act which would jumpstart our nation’s capability to build and repair roads, bridges, highways, ports, schools, and other infrastructure projects while putting people back to work building projects across the country and helping to improve U.S. competitiveness in the 21^st century global economy. The bill establishes a $50 billion infrastructure fund that can potentially support hundreds of billions in loan guarantees and financing authority for state and local governments. The fund would finance transportation, energy, communications, water, and education infrastructure projects across the country.

The American Society of Civil Engineers gave America’s infrastructure a D+ on its 2013 report card. Estimates of how much investment is needed to repair and rebuild America’s crumbling infrastructure reach as high as $2 trillion over the next two decades.

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