US DOT official visits Delaware rail company

Trumpeting the importance of the American Jobs Act, U.S. Deputy Transportation Secretary John Porcari took a tour of the Delaware Car Company this morning.

Pocari watched workers rebuilding passenger rail cars that will be sent to the North Carolina Department of Transportation when they are finished.  He used the visit to demonstrate the importance of investing in infrastructure, in part, because of the jobs.  “We saw metal bending, welding all kinds of skilled craftsmen doing very important work that we do better than any one else in the world when we’re given the chance.  What the American Jobs Act will do is put many more of their colleagues across America back to work.”

President Obama presented the American Jobs Act plan to a joint session of Congress in September.  The bill calls for $50 billion in spending for new and pre-existing infrastructure projects, which $4 billion for high-speed rail.  

Pocari says improving infrastructure now will help prepare for the nation’s growing population.  “If you’re wondering why we’re so focused on fixing our interstate system, our bridges, our high-speed rail, our transit systems among other things, we need to make sure we have a transportation system that lays the foundation for the future prosperity of America, the same way that our parents and grandparents did for us.”

The American Jobs Act is up for a vote later this week in the U.S. Senate.