Barbara Boxer: “I start off by thanking the chairman of the Environment and Public Works Committee, Senator Inhofe, for telling me…”

“I start off by thanking the chairman of the Environment and Public Works Committee, Senator Inhofe, for telling me yesterday that he would be really pleased for me to speak for 5 minutes. This Environment and Public Works Committee is quite a unique committee, extremely bipartisan. Working with Senator Jeffords, Senator Inhofe, also with Senator Reid, Senator Bond, and also with the help of the majority leader and the Democratic leader, this is a very important moment for this Senate. Why do I say that? Times are very tough in this Nation and we have a Nation divided on so many issues. But one thing we are not divided about is the fact that we have a very serious job issue in our country. Now, each party has reasons for why they think this is happening and I will not go into that; I don't have enough time to do it now. This morning, I learned on the news that, surprisingly, jobless claims are up this week again, and retail sales are down. We have a problem in this country--outsourcing of jobs. That is a big problem in this country, although it seems that the administration doesn't think so. I think most Americans--a very strong number of Americans--believe that taking jobs overseas is a serious problem. Without those jobs, families struggle. With the fear of losing their jobs, our families are anxious. This is a bill that will build the highway and transit systems we need.”