WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congressman Charles Rangel joined his Democratic colleagues today to call on the House Republicans to pass a clean extension of the Highway Trust Fund transportation bill that expires next month. If the bill is not extended, thousands of jobs and the safety of America's highways and infrastructure will be imperiled.

"The number one issue that is on the mind of everyone across our nation is jobs," Rangel said. "Just as they behaved in the debt ceiling debate, Republicans are prepared to sacrifice thousands of jobs and America's well-being for their ideological agenda. Unless we extend the bill, we will risk losing nearly one million jobs and close to $1 billion in highway funding in less than two weeks. We need to get America back to work and can't afford any more delays."

The Highway Trust Fund is set to expire on September 30, after which the Department of Transportation would no longer be authorized to collect revenue for highway, bridge and transit projects. Over 4,000 workers would be furloughed without pay almost immediately.  If reauthorization is delayed for just 10 days, nearly $1 billion in highway funding would be wasted and an even longer wait could jeopardize almost 1 million workers. New York would be hit especially hard: 53,227 are estimated to be at risk along with 6,863 active highway and 87 active transit projects.

Nationwide, over 1.9 million construction jobs have been lost since December 2007 and unemployment in the construction sector is the highest of any industry, recorded at 13.5% in August 2011. The AFL-CIO, the US Chamber of Commerce and 128 mayors from both political parties have advocated for the extension of the Highway Trust Fund.

"I have been in Congress for over 40 years and have never seen such heightened partisanship that Republicans would not extend a historically proven job creating program in this economy," added Rangel. "I call on my Republican friends to do the right thing and pass a clean extension of the Highway Trust Fund just we did seven times in the past. There is too much at stake to throw it all away for the sake of petty politics."