An open letter to my former boss:
“Dear Secretary Foxx:
Since I left the Department, I have watched with great excitement and optimism as more and more politicians in Washington talk out loud about passing a transportation reauthorization bill. You have been a tireless and persuasive advocate in support of long-term legislation. You are now armed with a realistic funding proposal that can fill this country’s transportation spending deficit until we collectively derive a long-term funding solution.
But you still have a problem. The proposed bill’s name. “GROW AMERICA” sends a message, for sure. Unfortunately, the message is one more appropriate for the farming community. Nobody remembers what the words of that awkward acronym stand for. As an attorney, you know that words matter.
As I left the agency, I urged some of my fellow political appointees to choose a name for the draft bill that I had suggested. It is still out there for the taking. It is bold and it accurately reflects the focus and energy of your agency’s transportation mission. It is meaningful and people will be able to remember what it stands for.
“INNOVATE” – “Investing in New, National Opportunities for Visionary American Transportation Excellence.”
It has everything you need and every word fits with what you’ve been pitching around the country.
“Investing” – this isn’t just a spending bill. Every dollar we pour into our transportation infrastructure is an investment in people and our economy.
“New” – your proposal moves this country forward in an exciting direction.
“National” – the proposed investments are specifically designed to benefit everyone, in all corners of our land. It doesn’t favor urban centers at the expense of rural communities. We all work together.
“Opportunities” – building new or expanded transit, promoting P3 projects, or enhancing our surface transportation system’s safety – all of these are opportunities for the taking, if we just have the courage to make them a financial priority.
“Visionary” – your proposal doesn’t merely allow us to catch up; it gives us the chance to dream about how and why we move around the United States in the future.
“American” – as the President has said, ‘it is time for some nation-building at home!’
“Transportation” – well, it should be in the title, right?
“Excellence” – the American people shouldn’t settle for anything less than the best our transportation professionals can produce, the safest and most effective infrastructure that will last for years to come.
Even the acronym itself is meaningful. You and my former colleagues at DOT are intently focused on innovation. Whether it is promoting the next generation of connected vehicles, using exciting new technology to repair our aging highways and bridges, building the foundation of a high-speed rail network, or expanding transit options to our neediest citizens – DOT is driven by the over-arching goal of innovation.
So, as you plan to roll out a new and improved reauthorization bill, don’t settle for “GROW AMERICA, 2.0”. Stay true to your agency’s mission. Emphasize the natural and logical nexus between what additional infrastructure spending we need and what it truly means for the United States. And capture the excitement that everyone at USDOT feels when they find ways to do things better, smarter and faster than ever before.
INNOVATE! It’s a name and a concept behind which members of both parties can unite.
And I won’t take any credit for the idea.
Sincerely, Fred Wagner”
