Skip to Content
Streetsblog USA home
Streetsblog USA home
Log In
Earl Blumenauer

Blumenauer: Don’t Let American Streets Remain Unsafe Routes to School

Right now the House is debating the GOP leadership's oil drilling-with-a-side-of-highways bill, which may or may not survive the House floor.

Oregon's Earl Blumenauer has a knack for props. This was the image he used to backdrop his impassioned defense of Safe Routes to School this morning during Congressional discussion on the House transportation bill.

A lot of folks are upset about this proposal, which would eliminate dedicated federal funding for transit, biking, and walking, open up some of the country's environmental treasures to oil drilling and delay infrastructure insolvency for all of two years.

Leave it to Oregon's Earl Blumenauer to really let 'em have it. The Hill reports that Blumenauer delivered an impassioned speech late this morning, accompanied by this sign that really hits home.

Some highlights below:

This is a wildly popular program, costing a fraction of a percent of the transportation budget, and it's had a huge impact nationally on our children because it deals with real consequences for them.

Doesn't it make sense to do something about the congestion, the injury, the death and the obesity?

So why are my Republican friends advancing a transportation bill attacking Safe Routes to School, stripping it out, making it an unsafe route to school? Well, it's a fitting metaphor for perhaps the worst transportation bill in history.

Well said, sir.

Stay in touch

Sign up for our free newsletter

More from Streetsblog USA

Wednesday’s Headlines Welcome Our Robot Overlords

The robotaxi field is growing, but with buyouts and now possibly layoffs at the U.S. DOT, will anyone be left to regulate them?

July 30, 2025

Shifting Gears to Urban Bike Delivery

Bikes can revolutionize delivery in urban areas. A new report outlines how policymakers can spur them in their communities.

July 30, 2025

Trump’s ‘Beautiful’ Bill Kills Lovely QueensWay Park (Plus Many Efforts to Erase ‘Racist’ Highways)

Here's another reason for Mayor Adams to have buyer's remorse over his bromance with President Trump.

July 29, 2025

Tuesday’s Headlines Reel in the Years

Republicans continue to roll back the Biden administration's legacy, most recently ending the DOT's Neighborhood Access and Equity program.

July 29, 2025

What Will It Take To Give Victims and Advocates a Voice at US DOT?

A new bill would put a dedicated "roadway safety advocate" in the halls of US DOT — and you can support it right now.

July 29, 2025

Monday’s Headlines E-Biking Away

There's a million destinations if we had a little help from the government to afford to buy an e-bike.

July 28, 2025
See all posts