Political Quotes

“Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Madam Speaker, I think it is important to note that the authorization is not ending next month. It is just the funds are running out. We have got to extend the funds. The authorization continues on through the end of the year. That authorization was a good bill, as I explained in my opening remarks. MAP-21 was an excellent piece of legislation that consolidated a lot of programs, allowed States more flexibility, and gave them a pathway to create many of the infrastructure projects we need. This is just the money. And then we go a little bit further so we are not creating a crisis right before we adjourn. So I think, in the end, this is a very good piece of legislation. It puts forth what is needed. We need money to finish the authorization we already have. That is what this does. The administration policy from the Executive Office of the President's Office of Management and Budget says this: ``With surface transportation funding running out''--he is only talking about the funding. He knows that the policy still is in place--``and hundreds of thousands of jobs at risk later this summer, the administration supports House passage of H.R. 5021 . . . This legislation would provide for continuity of funding for the highway trust fund during the height of the summer construction season and keep Americans at work repairing the Nation's crumbling roads, bridges, and transit systems.'' I reserve the balance of my time.”