A bill that Congresswoman Maxine Waters proposed on June 20 called the Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery (TIGER) Grants for Job Creation Act was not included in the Transportation, Housing, and Urban Development (THUD) transportation bill recently under consideration by the House Appropriations Committee.
TIGER would provide an emergency fund of one billion dollars over the next two years that would create jobs by funding investments in transportation infrastructure.
The bill was sponsored by 48 of Waters’ colleagues including several members of the House Appropriations Committee and the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee.
“TIGER could finance a wide variety of innovative highway, bridge and transit projects in urban and rural communities across the country, provided there is sufficient funding,” said Congresswoman Waters during the debate on the floor of the House of Representatives. “One such project is the Crenshaw/LAX Transit Corridor in Los Angeles County, a light rail project that will run through my district.”
TIGER was originally created in 2009 as a part of the stimulus bill that was passed early in President Barack Obama’s first term. He requested $500 million for the program in 2013. However, the House Appropriations Committee, which handled the (THUD) appropriations bill, did not include any funds for TIGER.
On June 26, Congresswoman Maxine Waters offered an amendment to the THUD appropriations bill, to restore $500 million for TIGER. However, the amendment was rejected, when Rep. Tom Latham, the Republican chairman of the Appropriations Subcommittee, ruled the amendment out of order. Consequently, it was never voted on.
“I urge my Republican colleagues to reconsider their actions and support the TIGER program,” said Congresswoman Waters, after her amendment was rejected. “American workers need jobs, and TIGER creates jobs by rebuilding roads, bridges and public transit facilities across the United States.”
“I will continue to support the TIGER program, and I will look for other opportunities in Congress to pass legislation that will fully find TIGER, create jobs and build transportation infrastructure,” says Congresswoman Waters.
