Barbara Boxer

Motor vehicle crashes are a leading cause of death for Americans aged 3 to 34.

More people are killed and injured on America's roads than on all other transportation modes combined.

I think that is really an important point here.

We spend $1 billion a day to import foreign oil, and two-thirds of it is used for transportation.

We are going to work together because we all have common interests.

I do want to thank Senator Inhofe. He has been a really good supporter of transit, highways, of our Highway Trust Fund.

Let us work together on that.

We do not have a good bill if it does not address all of America.

I do not look at rewriting this bill as rural versus urban. We do not need to pick fights.

One million American workers, including 100,000 in my State, will have confidence in knowing that their jobs are secure.

For me today is great day because yesterday, in a bipartisan vote, 68 to 29, the Senate passed the HIRE Act.

I am also working with Senator Bill Nelson, who is here to testify today, on legislation to strengthen the EPA role in investigating cancer, birth defects, and other disease clusters that may be associated with environmental toxins.

I am working on a bill with Senator Klobuchar that would authorize an interagency task force geared toward protecting children's health from environmental threats.

That's why I wrote the law that ensures that the EPA takes children and other vulnerable populations, such as pregnant women and the elderly, into account when setting drinking water standards, not just healthy adult men.

Children are more vulnerable to toxic pollution than adults.

I joined with Senator Boxer in requesting the GAO report that we will be hearing about today because we wanted to learn more about what EPA is doing to focus efforts on children's environmental health.

I worked with Senator Pryor and others, and Senator Nelson on the Commerce Committee, to pass what the Wall Street Journal called the most sweeping consumer legislation in 16 years with the Children's Products Bill that we passed.

Excellent. But I am asking you shovel ready.

I have one last question for you.

That is why this is so timely.

We get a basic source of funding, and we figure out how can we help either the homeowner or how can we help the businessman or woman carry out that dream.

We have to leverage, leverage, leverage funds.

I think to incentivize this is important.

Thank you very much. I appreciate your summing up.

I have to tell you your time is out, so if you want to just quickly tick them off, because your time has run out, and we have to ask questions.