Dan Webster: “I just want to make sure we remind everybody that there were 373 Members who voted for that halfhearted bill, including…”

“I just want to make sure we remind everybody that there were 373 Members who voted for that halfhearted bill, including the gentleman who spoke against that bill but who voted for it just 2 years ago. Why? Because it was good policy. It set forth some policy moving forward in that MAP-21 allowed for more flexibility for the local communities to determine what they needed. It took 100 projects and silos and so forth and reduced them down by a major amount. It gave that flexibility to the States. As for my State, we have the largest transportation program this year that we have ever had--$10 billion--which is $2 billion more than it was the year before. Why? Because this program and this project and this bill and the reauthorization worked, and all we are doing is extending that good policy. The policy already extends all the way through the end of the year. We are funding it. That is the real need, to finish funding it, and then we extend it another 5 months. To me, it is a great piece of legislation that can be improved. It gives us the time as we come along and begin working on the reauthorization bill that we are getting ready to propose at some point in time in the future. The staff is already working, and the Members are giving ideas. I have met with the staff, and have given them some ideas that I thought would work, and that is happening right now. This does not preclude us from continuing on.…”