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Senator Jim DeMint Wants to Eliminate Bike Stim Funds: Take Action!

Senator Jim DeMint, the South Carolina Republican who said that directing stim funds toward bicycle and hiking infrastructure will not help the economy or create jobs, has gone too far. He and Oklahoma Senator Tom Coburn, another pro-highway Republican who is no friend of bicyclists, have just proposed an amendment that would kill all stimulus funds for bike and hiking trails. 

Senator Jim DeMint, the South Carolina Republican who said that directing stim funds toward bicycle and hiking infrastructure will not help the economy or create jobs, has gone too far. He and Oklahoma Senator Tom Coburn, another pro-highway Republican who is no friend of bicyclists, have just proposed an amendment that would kill all stimulus funds for bike and hiking trails. 

In a statement, Congressman Earl Blumenauer (D-Oregon) said it shows how short-sighted and out of touch Republicans are:

Investment in bike paths will not only improve our
economy, and take our country in the right direction for our future; it
is precisely the kind of investment the American people want. American
families have indicated time and again in the passage of bond measures
across the country that they favor spending on alternative
transportation, such as bicycles and mass transit, over spending on
more highway capacity.  Americans want a real solution to the economic
crisis, not just a band-aid fix.  These investments will stimulate the
economy in the present and point our nation toward the economic and
environmental realities of the future.

Call or write DeMint and Coburn and tell them what investing in bicycle infrastructure really means:

Coburn’s Washington office: 202-224-5754 or email.

DeMint’s Washington office: 202-224-6121 or email.

And then call Senators Feinstein and Boxer and tell them to kill the amendment:

Feinstein’s Washington office: 202-224-3841 or email.

Boxer’s Washington office: 202-224-3553 or email.

Photo of Bryan Goebel
Bryan Goebel is a reporter at KQED Public Radio in San Francisco. A veteran journalist and writer, he helped launch Streetsblog SF in 2009 and served as editor for three years. He lives car-free in the Castro District.

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