Washington, D.C. - U.S. Rep. John L. Mica (R-FL), the Republican Leader of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, citing U.S. Department of Transportation data from July 3rd, said that the limited funds expended in high-unemployment states and federal bureaucratic red tape have failed to get jobs and transportation projects moving.

"Unfortunately, only a shocking 1% of the $48 billion in stimulus funds administered by the U.S. Department of Transportation has been spent," Mica said. "That's just $523 million across all fifty states. As funds sit idle, so do workers."

Mica joined Rep. John J. Duncan, Jr. (R-TN), Rep. Gary Miller (R-CA), Rep. Henry Brown (R-SC), Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart (R-FL), Rep. Jean Schmidt (R-OH), and Rep. Candice Miller (R-MI) in contrasting the crippling unemployment rates in their states - among the highest in the nation - with the Administration's claims that with the stimulus, national unemployment would peak at 8%.

"Investments in our infrastructure can create jobs, but the federal project process is so burdensome that money for good projects cannot get out fast enough," Mica continued. "We must cut federal red tape and reduce the time it takes to get projects underway.

"We have done this successfully in previous crises. The I-35W bridge in Minneapolis was replaced within just 437 days. Because of red tape, projects of that magnitude usually take seven to eight years. The current economic crisis demands we adopt a 437 Day Plan for other projects across the nation.