Ross Eisenbrey, vice president of the Economic Policy Institute, issued the following statement in response to yesterday’s introduction of the Fix America’s Schools Today (FAST) legislation in the Senate:

Sen. Sherrod Brown’s new legislation, Fix America’s Schools Today (FAST) would help solve two critical problems at once.  More than one million construction workers are unemployed and tens of thousands of public schools desperately need repairs, renovation and maintenance that have been neglected.  FAST would provide $30 billion for that critical work and employ up to 300,000 workers in construction, maintenance, transportation, material production and supply, and other jobs in the economy.  Millions of school children and their teachers will benefit from safer, healthier, more energy efficient schools that are more conducive to learning.

We applaud President Obama for calling for this legislation and Sen. Brown for responding so decisively.