WASHINGTON – Today, Sen. Tom Carper (D-Del.) released the following statement in response to President Obama's Fiscal Year 2016 budget proposal:

“The president's budget lays out a plan to execute the vision for continued economic growth he presented to the country during his State of the Union address. There are a number of thoughtful proposals in the budget to strengthen our economy, while also restoring some funding certainty to federal agencies so they can carry out their critical missions. I’m particularly encouraged to see measures to update our broken tax structure, expand health coverage to even more Americans through the continued implementation of the Affordable Care Act, prepare students for high-quality jobs by strengthening our education system, and continued efforts make our country more energy efficient. I think it’s important to note that the president’s budget makes these smart investments while simultaneously targeting areas where we can find greater efficiency and effectiveness in government. 

“Americans have sent a very clear message to lawmakers in Washington – they expect us to set aside partisan politics and work together to make progress on the issues that affect their everyday lives. Now that Congress has the president’s budget, we must go to work finding principled, bipartisan compromises and pass legislation that takes long-overdue action on our country’s highest priorities. 

“One area we can and must find common ground is transportation and infrastructure policy. Investing in repairing our nation’s infrastructure is a priority that President Obama and I share. As we rapidly approach a deadline to shore up the Highway Trust Fund for the 12th time in six years, I’m glad to see the president has proposed a six-year surface transportation program that will give our cities, states and businesses the certainty they have lacked for too long. The budget identifies an accurate estimation for how much money we’ll need to invest in order to repair and modernize a transportation system that can nurture economic growth and keep America on the move. However, I fear the president’s plan offers only a temporary solution. Instead, I favor restoring the purchasing power of the federal gas tax to create a permanent funding source to pay for this investment for decades to come. I appreciate the administration for coming to the table and I look forward to working together, along with my colleagues in Congress, to find a strategy that satisfies both sides of the aisle and gets the job done.”