Support Job-Creating Transportation and Infrastructure Investments in Budget Agreement

Recipient: U.S. Senate

Dear Senator:

On behalf of The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, a coalition charged by its diverse membership of more than 210 national organizations to promote and protect the civil and human rights of all persons in the United States, we urge you to craft a resolution to our nation’s economic and fiscal challenges that includes transportation and infrastructure investments. These investments are critically needed to boost the economy and create much-needed jobs in the transportation sector.

Despite some progress, the economy still has a long way to go to achieve full recovery.  More than 20 million people are still in need of full-time work, and unemployment continues to hover around 8 percent. The additional $109.3 billion dollars that could be cut from the budget by a sequester would put the jobs and well-being of millions at greater risk, especially low-income people, women, seniors, people with disabilities, and communities of color.

Given the current state of the economy, we have serious concerns that the proposals under consideration would require substantial reductions in federal investments, removing even more money from the economy and burdening many of the same working families that have already borne the brunt of our nation’s deficit reduction efforts. According to the Congressional Budget Office, the fiscal cliff could drive the U.S. economy back into recession next year and result in a jump in unemployment to 9.1% by the end of 2013 with a job loss of nearly 2.14 million.  This could have a devastating impact on vulnerable communities that continue to have disproportionately higher levels of unemployment, particularly black males whose unemployment rate is 14.3%.

Any budget agreement must target investments to create and maintain jobs in infrastructure and transportation—including construction, maintenance, operations, and engineering—that will grow the economy. There are proposals available to that end, such as the $50 billion proposal for infrastructure spending consistent with the American Jobs Act. It is imperative that the administration and Congress address this urgent need. We urge you to work together to ensure that any budget agreement prioritizes job creation and economic growth.

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact Lexer Quamie, Counsel at (202) 466-3648 or [email protected] or Nancy Zirkin at (202) 466-3311 or [email protected]. Thank you for your consideration of this important issue.

Sincerely,

Wade Henderson
President & CEO

Nancy Zirkin
Executive Vice President