Washington, D.C. - Senator Barbara Boxer (D-CA), Chairman of the Environment and Public Works Committee, issued the following statement regarding the Senate vote today on H.R. 2887, which extends the existing surface transportation authorization bill, SAFETEA-LU, for six months:

Senator Boxer said: "Today was a crucial moment for the 1.8 million workers and the thousands of businesses who depend on a strong transportation bill. There were needless delays, but in the end the Senate showed it was willing to do the right thing. By turning back an amendment that was intended to cut surface transportation by one-third, it puts us in a good position as we move forward on our two-year bill. Thanks go to my Ranking Member, Senator Inhofe, for working hand-in-hand with me for this important outcome."

The House of Representatives passed the extension of SAFETEA-LU earlier this week, and it will now go to the President to be signed into law.

Senator Boxer spoke on the Senate floor earlier today regarding Republicans' objections to the extension. Video can be found here.

The Senate is continuing to work on a bipartisan proposal, Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century (MAP-21), that will reauthorize surface transportation programs at current funding levels for two years. Earlier this year, Senator Boxer and Senator James Inhofe (R-OK), EPW Ranking Member, released an outline for MAP-21, which modernizes and reforms the nation's transportation systems to help create jobs and build the foundation for long-term prosperity.

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