Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.), chairman of the Environment and Public Works Committee, was quick and to the point in response to Republican delay tactics. She simply said they were not to be tolerated.
Boxer spoke on the Senate floor the night of Feb. 13, announcing she was against controversial non-germane amendments or other procedural tactics by the Republican Party that has delayed movement on S. 1813, Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century (MAP-21). She also submitted a letter signed by the likes of AAA and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce condemning the political maneuvers.
“Listen, we have to put aside these wedge issues, these ‘gotcha’ issues,” she told the Senate. “We have business after business after business that is struggling.
“If we don’t pass a highway bill, I am going to be blunt with you here. What’s going to happen? Our states are going to start shutting down these projects, and people will be unemployed, and we’ll see a reversal in this very delicate economic recovery.”
