Shuster: 'Common ground' exists on infrastructure legislation

In response to President Barack Obama's State of the Union speech on Tuesday in which he called for a bipartisan plan to fix the nation's infrastructure, House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chairman Bill Shuster (R-Pa.) said opportunities exist between the political parties to find "common ground" on infrastructure and other matters necessary to strengthen the U.S. economy.

"I believe that it is imperative that we repair our crumbling infrastructure through fiscally responsible legislation," Shuster said in a prepared statement. "As chairman of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, I am working to pass a surface transportation bill that makes investments in our nation’s roads and bridges to keep America competitive in a global economy."

However, Shuster also called out Obama for criticizing the Republican-controlled Congress for focusing attention on legislation to approve the proposed Keystone pipeline's construction.

"While I’m willing to work with President Obama on finding a way to fix our nation's infrastructure, having to choose between infrastructure or the job-creating Keystone pipeline is a shell game that costs the American people further energy independence and job creation," he said. "Both are opportunities we should pursue and can achieve."