Madam Chair, thank you very much for having this hearing. And to Senator Boxer and Senator Vitter, thank you for the manner in which you conduct this committee on the infrastructure advancements.

I strongly support the improvements to our bridges, our roads, our transit systems. They are all critically important to America's economy.

My goal, and I know that Senator Vitter shares this goal, is to move swiftly this spring to pass a long-term reauthorization bill.

The money that you are talking about, Senator, and that you have been so helpful on, has been absolutely critical to the growth of our city.

Ex-Im Bank pledged support of up to $5 billion over the next 5 years in support of the President's Power Africa Initiative.

Make no mistake, I think we all know we are running out of time.

We need to make sure the highway system, the transportation system, surface transportation, accommodates local input.

I take great pride in the transportation alternative program which is included in MAP-21.

I appreciate your commitment to that issue, and I hope that we will not rehash some of the arguments in the past, but look forward to how we can build upon that program to make it even more effective as we move forward.

Giving them the ability to determine their local priorities is what this partnership should be all about.

I appreciate the exchange you had with Mayor Ballard and the kind comments that were expressed.

It is such a challenge to be able to fund all the priorities they have at the State level.

People recognize that we have to do a better job of accommodating what people want today, and that is to live in our urban centers.

It would be an understatement to say that EPA faces challenges in fulfilling its mission to protect the environment from factions within Congress.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today, March 25, to celebrate the 193rd anniversary of Greek independence. In Greek, we say ``Long Live Greece, Long Live Freedom''--Zito Ellada, Zito Eleftheria--in recalling the day that the Greek people threw off the…

we haven't seen that kind of cooperation frankly.

I want to revisit the findings of his report.

I never heard the commissioner say that he was not going to obey the subpoena.