Providence, RI – U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse yesterday joined Congressman David Cicilline for a tour of the Blackstone Viaduct Construction Site on I-295 and called for passage of a long-term transportation bill that will allow continued federal funding for local infrastructure repairs. During the tour, Whitehouse paused to receive a call from President Barack Obama to talk about their recent efforts to pass legislation to implement the Buffett Rule. The President thanked Whitehouse for his leadership on the issue.
“I’m honored to stand with President Obama to fight for greater fairness in our tax system,” said Whitehouse. “We may not have won on round one, but thanks to the efforts of the President and the countless Americans who made their voices heard in the debate, this issue won’t be going away.”
In addition to thanking Whitehouse for his Buffett Rule efforts, the President also spoke with the Senator about the federal surface transportation funding bill, which yesterday’s viaduct tour was designed to highlight and which would support roughly 9,000 Rhode Island jobs. The Senate passed the Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century (MAP-21) bill on March 14, with a strong bipartisan vote of 74 to 22. Efforts to pass a long-term bill in the House have languished, and Senator Whitehouse is pressuring the House to act quickly to secure long-term funding.
###
