Today, Department of Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx spoke in front of over 200 civil engineers outside of Washington, D.C. Secretary Foxx spent his time urging ASCE members to tell their Members of Congress about America’s infrastructure needs and how the impending insolvency of the Highway Trust Fund will hurt our nation’s economy and global competitiveness.
Secretary Foxx thanked the civil engineers for their work, saying “you are the ones that do the work in helping America’s infrastructure.”
As part of ASCE’s ongoing efforts to advocate for sustainable, long-term infrastructure investment, the ASCE Legislative Fly-in allows civil engineers from across to country to come together and make their voice heard in Congress.
Of note, the Secretary focused his time explaining the consequences of America’s infrastructure deficit. The Secretary mentioned that “there is massive uncertainty…about how we’re going to meet the growing needs of our country.” As ASCE members know all too well, this uncertainty hurts our ability to plan in the long-term and fix our pressing infrastructure needs.
To conclude his remarks, the Secretary said that projects are already being put on hold due to the dwindling Highway Trust Fund. He argued that Congress must get off of its “extension addiction,” and create a long-term solution to boost our economy and leave future generations a better country.
As ASCE members head to Capitol Hill, we are excited to have the Secretary as an ally in advocating for a long-term, sustainable solution to closing America’s infrastructure deficit.