Senate Environment and Public Works Committee Chairwoman Barbara Boxer, D-California; House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chairman John Mica, R-Florida; Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa; Mesa, Arizona, Mayor Scott Smith; U.S. Chamber of Commerce President Tom Donohue; and AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka stood together at a press conference to express their support for reauthorizing federal surface transportation programs.

Villaraigosa hopes Congress will boost his efforts to secure federal help, even in tough fiscal times, to speed expansion of the Los Angeles region's transportation system, the Los Angeles Times reported.

"I'm standing here with people who tried to beat me, really tried to beat me," Boxer joked as she stood near Donohue. The chamber had campaigned unsuccessfully last election to oust the senator. "When it comes to infrastructure," she added, "there's a different atmosphere."

Boxer and other speakers called for increasing funding for a federal transportation loan program known as "TIFIA" -- the Transportation Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act -- and exploring other innovative ways to pay for transportation projects.

"If you're out in the hinterlands like we are in Arizona you'd think that nobody agrees on anything in Washington," Smith said. But he said the bipartisan gathering Wednesday "should send a message."

Villaraigosa discussed his plan, commonly known as the 30/10 proposal. It aims to build a dozen projects in 10 years instead of the originally scheduled 30 years. The mayor recently gave the idea a name, "America Fast Forward," to portray it as a national initiative that could benefit other regions.

Video of Wednesday's press conference is available at 1.usa.gov/Boxer033011. More information about America Fast Forward is available at bit.ly/AFF033011 and americafastforward.org.