The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee will air radio ads Friday hitting 2nd District Republican Congressman French Hill for joining other Republicans in voting for a stopgap highway funding bill rather than a permanent funding solution. Ad text:

Summer driving season is here. Did you know that the Little Rock area has an estimated 30 bridges that have been deemed structurally deficient and in need of significant maintenance, rehabilitation or even replacement? The Republican-controlled Congress and Congressman French Hill had months to find a long-term solution for our nation’s Highway Trust Fund and to ensure critical dollars for repairing and updating our roads and bridges. Hill and House Republicans failed to find a long-term solution, instead they just kicked the can further down the road. That’s not a real solution for Little Rock’s drivers and Republicans’ political games won’t fix our bridges. Call Congressman Hill at (501) 324-5941 and tell him we deserve a Member of Congress who will make sure our highways, bridges, and roads are safe.

Last week, the House passed a stopgap bill to continue funding authority through July. All four Arkansas Republicans voted yes. Does the DCCC ad buy indicate a thought that French Hill is more vulnerable than other Arkansas Republicans? Rep. Bruce Westerman’s idea to wreck the Medicaid expansion and spend it on highways instead is a non-starter as a practical matter, of course, but it’s deserving of some attention, too. The death toll among newly uninsured would reduce traffic on highways at least.

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The temporary fix won’t allow the state highway department to restore millions in projects. The trust fund faces insolvency in August.

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