Today, Rep. Pete Aguilar urged his colleagues to pass a long-term surface transportation bill in light of the impending expiration of the Highway and Transportation Funding Act of 2015, and voted against Republican Leadership’s short-term fix to extend authorization for only five months. Rep. Aguilar spoke on the House floor this afternoon to advocate for a long-term transportation bill to fund the improvement of streets, highways and bridges in the Inland Empire and across the country.

“Enough is enough. We need a comprehensive and long-term surface transportation plan—not a short-term fix. The Highway Trust Fund supports critical projects, which include improving the I-10 freeway in the Inland Empire, as well as countless other projects across the country. It’s time for Republican Leadership to start governing and bring us a long-term extension that is measured in years, not months. We don’t need another short-term patch. It’s time for real solutions,” said Rep. Aguilar.

The Inland Empire has a number of projects currently supported by the Highway Trust Fund, including improvements to the I-10 and US-395. Future projects, such as the Pepper Avenue Interchange in Rialto—which would create a new freeway access point with a full-service interchange—depend on reliable funding and proper planning. To support these and other local transportation projects, Rep. Aguilar cosponsored H.R. 2410, the GROW AMERICA Act—a long-term funding bill that would extend the authorization for six years. This bill would provide long-term stability and enable San Bernardino County and cities in the Inland Empire to plan and execute critical transportation and infrastructure projects.

Republican Leadership chose to introduce another band-aid bill this afternoon which extends the authorization for five months. Rep. Aguilar voted against the short-term fix, which only extends highway projects through December 18^th. It passed the House 312 to 119.