AEM and AED Launch Infrastructure Campaign Pledge

Two of the nation’s equipment industry trade groups have launched an effort to get U.S. House and Senate candidates from across the country to commit to making surface transportation and water infrastructure investment a top priority in the next Congress.

The Infrastructure Campaign Pledge is part of the Start Us Up USA! national grassroots campaign led by the Associated Equipment Distributors (AED), Oak Brook, Ill., and the Association of Equipment Manufacturers (AEM), Milwaukee. During the past year, the Start Us Up USA! campaign has coordinated five rallies and caravans of “idle equipment” in major cities. The rallies highlighted what the AEM calls “the dire economic conditions in the equipment industry and the need for sustained and substantial investment to address the nation’s highway and water infrastructure needs.”

AEM says Start Us Up USA! sent the Infrastructure Campaign Pledge to every candidate for the U.S. House and Senate. The pledge gives the candidates the opportunity, if elected, to publicly commit to supporting robust federal investment in surface transportation and water infrastructure programs.

“The next Congress must lay a solid foundation for America’s growth and economic future, while creating a cleaner environment and a better quality of life for all,” says AED President and CEO Toby Mack. “Support for America’s infrastructure not only brings a bounty of long-term rewards but yields immediate benefit by jump-starting a struggling economy and creating much needed jobs.”

A list of current signatories is available at www.startusupusa.com/campaign_pledge.cfm.