Rep. Peter DeFazio, D-Springfield, who chairs the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure in the U.S. House, rolled out his version ofa massive infrastructure spending packageFriday.
The five-year, $547 billion plan includes money for highways and transit, as well as pedestrian and bicycle infrastructure. It would also triple the amount of federal funding for Amtrak.
DeFazio said his job is to figure out where the money is spent, not to come up with a revenue source.
“I don’t get to write that part of the bill," he said. "That’s not my committee. That’s (the) Ways and Means Committee. I just write the policy and create the programs.”
Republicans on the committee released a statement criticizing the plan.
“Instead of working with Republicans to find common ground on a bill that could earn strong bipartisan support – something our Senate counterparts did successfully last month – this bill moves even further to the left to appease the most progressive members in the Majority’s party," the statement read in part.