U.S. Rep. James Comer believes the I-69 bridge planned to span the Ohio River could end up being an un-tolled road.
Comer made the remark Saturday evening to the Hendersonian after the conclusion of the Henderson Republican’s annual Lincoln Dinner.
“There’s a possibility the bridge many end up not tolled,” he said.
Comer said there are six or seven different pots of federal money that officials are trying to tap into and a possibility that funding will be so great that tolls would not be needed on the bridge.
He also said that he will work to keep both of the Twin Bridges open, especially if there’s not a toll on the new I-69 bridge.
In matters related more closely to Hendersonians, he said he’ll be working on staying in touch with local industries, specifically those dealing in aluminum and automotive, so that they will be able to navigate any tariffs that may come. He also said he’s working on passing a new farm bill, which hasn’t seen an update since 2018.
In his remarks to the audience, Comer’s comments centered on his work in Washington, including jabs at President Joe Biden and his family and national media outlets.
He said work in Washington is difficult, specifically because of a media that “has been hard on me.”
Comer, as chair of the House Oversight Committee, has investigated Biden and his family, as well recently opened probes of current vice president and presidential candidate Kamala Harris and her running mate, Tim Walz.
He also spoke about waste of the unemployment insurance fund during the COVID-19 pandemic and bureaucrats in Washington that need to lose their jobs.
Additionally, at the dinner, Henderson state Sen. Robby Mills spoke about the wins that he and state Rep. Jonathan Dixon had in winning funding for Henderson projects and other statewide programs that came from the most recent General Assembly session.
Mills said that legislators will have the chance to vote to lower the state income tax to 3.5% in the next session, which begins in January.
He also spoke about the $6.6 million Watson Lane improvement project. The project will widen the street, as well as improve conditions at the stoplight at the intersection of Watson Lane and U.S. 41.
“Hopefully, that will start this fall or into the winter,” he said.
The evening was hosted by J.T. Payne, who is running unopposed for the representative seat vacated by Dixon, who is leaving politics for the time being. Sheriff Chip Stauffer and local Republican Chair Dwight Williams also spoke.
Henderson County Judge-Executive Brad Schneider offered contrast to the partisan tone of some of the speakers. After mentioning that Henderson County had been a Democratic machine until recently, he said that part of county government’s success has been its ability to work with Democrats, proving that “Republicans can govern well even in a county that didn’t believe it for a long time.”
The local environment stands in start contrast to what is occurring in Washington, said Comer. Of bipartisanship in the nation’s capital, Comer said, “It’s absent now.”
He said there needs to be some working together, specifically because the House can’t govern unless it can raise 218 votes, while the Senate needs 60, and firebrands on either side can’t get enough backing to pass anything.
“They can’t get anywhere near that,” and end up only hurting themselves, he said.
Comer is running against 29-year-old Erin Marshall, a first-time candidate, to represent Kentucky’s 1st Congressional District.
Williams said that the number of Republicans in Henderson County now stands at 12,436, while the number of Democrats is at 18,778. There are 3,292 registered to other parties, he said.