Political Quotes

“Mr. Higgins, you've raised, and Mr. Ryan, you've also raised the very same issue about the infrastructure. We can do this. We can really do it. I couldn't believe that Paul Ryan's going to introduce a budget in the next couple of days that's going to take $5.7 trillion out of the infrastructure. I often hear our Republican colleagues talk about the Founding Fathers, and we ought to hearken back to the founding fathers. And indeed we should. His first month in office, George Washington asked Alexander Hamilton, his Treasury Secretary, to develop an industrial plan for the United States. In that plan that Hamilton produced 3 months later was an infrastructure component. It said the United States Government should support the creation of ports, canals, and roads. So right back to the very first days of this government, we have seen the role of the Federal Government in the infrastructure sector, and that is an investment. And one thing I'll add before I turn it back to you gentlemen is that all of that's our tax money, all tax money from all 360 million Americans, coming in in one way or another, sometimes through the Federal excise tax on gasoline or income tax or other taxes. If we used that money to buy American-made steel--I think that's near your district, isn't it, Mr. Ryan?”