Washington, DC– Last night, Congressman Raúl Grijalva (D-AZ) voted in favor of the Highway and Transportation Funding Act of 2014 (H.R. 5021), which provides temporary funding for road, bridge and mass-transit projects through May 2015.

“An investment in roads and bridges is a national priority and should be treated as one,” said Rep. Grijalva. “But when Congressional Republicans force us to choose between barely doing anything and doing nothing at all, they are not serving the interests of the American people. They cannot provide the robust investment in infrastructure that this country needs with a funding bill that lasts less than a year.”

In Arizona alone, more than 4,550 miles of public roads are classified as being in poor condition. While H.R. 5021 will safeguard 12,562 jobs and 1,273 active highway and transit projects in the state, it pales in comparison to the impact of a long-term transportation reauthorization bill.

“We need real solutions, and that requires Republicans in Congress to bring bills to the floor that actually solve problems,” Grijalva continued. “We have roads to be paved, bridges to repair, and Americans across the country who are eager to get to work. It’s time Congressional Republicans realize they were elected to govern, not neglect the government’s responsibilities.”

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