The National Retail Federation issued the following statement from Vice President for Supply Chain and Customs Policy Jonathan Gold on House and Senate votes scheduled today and later this week on a temporary extension of transportation funding:

“Our nation’s retailers need 21st Century infrastructure to remain globally competitive. Repeated short-term funding for our neglected highways, bridges and ports will only inhibit expected growth. As trade continues to grow, our transportation system must do the same to keep up. This can only be achieved through a long-term sustainable highway bill that seeks to address failing infrastructure and freight bottlenecks. Congress can’t keep kicking the can down the road because without proper funding there won’t be any road left for the can to travel down.”

NRF is the world’s largest retail trade association, representing discount and department stores, home goods and specialty stores, Main Street merchants, grocers, wholesalers, chain restaurants and Internet retailers from the United States and more than 45 countries. Retail is the nation’s largest private sector employer, supporting one in four U.S. jobs – 42 million working Americans. Contributing $2.6 trillion to annual GDP, retail is a daily barometer for the nation’s economy. NRF’s This is Retail campaign highlights the industry’s opportunities for life-long careers, how retailers strengthen communities, and the critical role that retail plays in driving innovation. www.nrf.com

PERMALINK

National Retail FederationJ. Craig Shearman, 855-NRF-PRESSPRESS@NRF.com