Transportation For America » Transportation bill being considered: Join us for a national call-in day today

Transportation bill being considered: Join us for a national call-in day today

June 24, 2009
By Stephen Lee Davis

We need you to make one call to Congress and ensure that transportation spending delivers. Click here for details on making a call.

Or just call the Congressional Switchboard at 202-224-3121 and tell your Representative to support the National Transportation Objectives Act of 2009. (HR 2724)

As we post this, Chairman James Oberstar’s transportation bill draft is being “marked up” in a House subcommittee. As that committee works on the bill and news about the bill is fresh in the minds of House members, we are organizing a national call-in day today to make sure that Congress gets our message loud and clear:

No new money without reforming the system.

Can you help out by calling your Representative today? It will make a real difference, and it only takes about one minute. Information on how to call at right or bottom, or click here

The draft bill has a lot of what Transportation for America, our coalition, and our many supporters have been pushing for, but today, it still falls short. As it stands today, it leaves out something crucial: Clear national priorities for what $450 billion in transportation spending will achieve.

Without over-arching goals and targets — like lower energy consumption, reduced emissions, greater affordability, or expanded access to transportation choices for all Americans — there’s no way to be sure billions of dollars in transportation spending will truly deliver clean, safe and smart transportation. We can definitely do better. We can’t keep pouring our precious tax dollars into the same old flawed transportation system that leaves us stuck without options.

Help us get a real plan that delivers. Call your member of Congress today:

Call the Congressional Switchboard at 202-224-3121 and ask to speak to your representative’s office.
Tell the staff member answering the phone where you’re calling from, and that you’d like to urge the representative to support the National Transportation Objectives Act of 2009 (H.R. 2724). You can add:
- You are a constituent and a supporter of the Transportation for America coalition.
- You want to make sure the billions spent on transportation help us cut down on emissions, give us real energy security, and provide us with more affordable options for getting from A to B.
- No new money for transportation without reforming the system and making it accountable and measurable.
Then let us know you made the call