Barbara Kennelly: “Mr. Chairman, like others, I support needed investments in our transportation system. The First District of Connecticut…”

“Mr. Chairman, like others, I support needed investments in our transportation system. The First District of Connecticut relies on its roads, bridges, and airports to be its economic and commercial links to the rest of the country and the world. But while we may have nearly endless transportation needs, we don't have an endless supply of tax money. And although transportation must be a top priority, there are tough choices to be made about where our limited funding goes. Taking these trust funds off-budget shelters them from those hard decisions. In 12 of the last 15 years, we have spent more from the trust funds than taxpayers put in. Taking them off-budget will tilt the playing field even more toward transportation, at the expense of other priorities and at the expense of deficit reduction. Calling the trust funds off-budget does nothing to change the reality that our budget is out of balance. In fact, this bill would put us $20 billion more in the red over 5 years. I urge my colleagues to support fiscal responsibility and oppose H.R. 842.”