Republican Party of Minnesota Gets Facts Wrong on Oberstar’s Proposal to Secure Nation’s

08/23/2007

Oberstar Plan Makes 73,000 Structurally Deficient Bridges Safe, Allocates Money Based on Public-Safety Need, and Prohibits Earmarking


St. Paul, MN (August 23, 2007) – DFL Party Chairman Brian Melendez is offering a bit of advice to his Republican counterpart: “Before you criticize a proposal, it’s a good idea to read it first.”

On Wednesday, State Republican Chair Ron Carey claimed that Representative Jim Oberstar’s national bridge initiative should not be adopted because too much transportation spending goes to “glitzy pet projects.”

Representative Oberstar is proposing an emergency plan to make the nation’s 73,000 structurally deficient bridges safe. The plan specifically directs the U.S. Department of Transportation to allocate funding for bridge repair and reconstruction based on public-safety needs, and it prohibits all earmarking by the executive branch, Congress or the states. [Oberstar Press Release, 8/8/07]

“This plan specifically bans earmarks, so to attack the plan because of earmarks is ridiculous,” said Melendez. “Either Ron Carey didn’t read the proposal before he attacked it, or he did read it and he is simply ignoring the facts. I’m not sure which is worse but, either way, the Republican attack is pure politics, not rational debate.”