Cord Byrd: “Mr. President, just 5 days ago, during consideration of this year's Budget Resolution, the Senate, by a vote of 65 yeas…”

“Mr. President, just 5 days ago, during consideration of this year's Budget Resolution, the Senate, by a vote of 65 yeas to 35 nays, expressed the Senate's opposition to either a temporary or permanent repeal of Federal gasoline taxes. In addition to myself, the original co-sponsors of the amendment were Senators Warner, Baucus, Voinovich, Lautenberg and Bond. Additional co-sponsors added during the debate were Senators Lincoln, Domenici, Bingaman and Robb. Later today, the Senate will be asked to vote again on essentially the same question, when the cloture vote is taken on S. 2285. That bill would implement a temporary repeal of a portion of the Federal tax on gasoline. To make up for the lost revenues to the Highway Trust Fund that this gas tax repeal would cause, the proponents of this bill advocate the use of revenues from the General Fund of the Treasury. The proponents do not identify a particular source of those revenues.”