Rep. Rob Woodall (R-Ga.) said on Friday that taxpayers will be willing to pay for performance in infrastructure, citing his home state as an example.
“We’re a conservative state in the Deep South, and we passed a billion dollars a year transportation tax increase because we want to be the economic singer of the southeastern United States,” Woodall told Hill.TV’s Krystal Ball and Saagar Enjeti on “Rising.”
“When we had a bridge burn down in Georgia, we came together, Democrats at the local level, Republicans at the state and federal level, produced it in record time, and get this, paid a $3 million performance bonus to the contractor,” he continued.
“Do you know how many conservatives complained about that performance bonus? Zero. Folks are happy to pay for performance. It’s paying for nonperformance that divides this country,” he said.
“What Mr. Rouda and I are going to work on is making sure we’re squeezing in every single dollar to get maximum value for the American taxpayer, and Americans want that 21st-century system,” he said.
Woodall appeared for the interview alongside fellow House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee member Rep. Harley Rouda (D-Calif.).
Infrastructure has proven to be a rare point of bipartisan agreement between Republicans and Democrats.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) have said they will work with Trump toward a $2 trillion infrastructure package and are expected to meet with the president next week.
However, GOP lawmakers have doubts about an infrastructure package, and how to pay for it without raising taxes.
— Julia Manchester
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