By Jim Berard 202-226-5064
House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chairman James L. Oberstar drew cheers and affirming blasts from air horns as he addressed a rally of heavy equipment manufacturers and workers today on the National Mall.
The event was put on by Start Us Up USA, a national coalition of construction equipment manufacturers and distributors. It was organized to call attention to the impact of the national economic recession on their industries, and to spur action on a new, long-term surface transportation authorization bill. The equipment sector has lost some 550,000 jobs in the current recession, according to the group. The number was driven home by fields of orange flags at the rally site, each flag representing 100 jobs lost.
Oberstar applauded Start Us Up for their tactic of parading idle construction equipment through the streets of the Nation’s Capital to call attention to their cause.
“It wasn’t so long ago that farmers were upset about the farm program not moving through Congress, and they came here with their combines and tractors and drove all around Washington,” Oberstar said. “That got everyone’s attention.”
Oberstar told the crowd that they need to continue to sound off on their issue, to galvanize public opinion, to show Congress and the White House that the recession hits the construction sector hard, and that the effects are felt in every city, every town, in every state.
The Chairman also noted the irony that the United States is exporting idle construction equipment to countries such as China and India, where public investment in infrastructure is booming.
Oberstar renewed his call for Congress to take up and pass the six-year surface transportation authorization bill being readied by the Committee.
“The projects funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act have put people back to work all over the country, but those funds will run out,” Oberstar said. “We need a six-year investment bill that will create six million net new jobs, and help us to compete with China, India, and the rest of the world.”
The Washington rally was the third such event staged by Start Us Up USA. The group held similar events in Las Vegas and Chicago.
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