Jeff Denham: “This is a very simple amendment. It just basically says, at the end of this bill none of the funds may be used for…”

“This is a very simple amendment. It just basically says, at the end of this bill none of the funds may be used for high-speed rail in California. California has a project that was supposed to cost $33 billion. The voters in California voted for bonds of $9.9 billion. The Federal Government was supposed to come up with $10 billion, and a private company was supposed to come up with $10 billion. The problem is there is no private investor for the $10 billion; the Federal Government is broke with $16 trillion worth of debt and can't come up with $10 billion; and the State of California can no longer float the bond because their credit rating is so bad. To compound the matter, it's no longer a $33 million project. It ballooned to $68 billion, then on up to $98 billion. And when talking to Secretary LaHood, he said there's no end in sight, that this is a project that could continue to change as we move forward. In fact, that's what we're actually seeing in California, an initiative that bounces back and forth, $10 billion here or $10 billion there. So again, this amendment is very simple. It just says none of these funds can be used for high-speed rail. In California we've got highways that are falling apart, bridges that are falling apart. We need to make sure that our gas tax dollars get used for their intended purpose of actually improving our roads and highways. I yield back the balance of my time.”