Political Quotes

“on May 14 of this year, after months and months of delay, the administration finally released their TEA-21 reauthorization proposal. Called SAFETEA, the administration's proposal will authorize $247 billion for surface transportation programs. In contrast, TEA-21 authorized $218 billion over 6 years for our Nation's surface transportation needs. While the landmark legislation made tremendous advancements towards addressing those needs, we still have much work to do. The next reauthorization must advance on the successes and priorities of TEA-21 and take into account our future needs as well. Unfortunately, SAFETEA fails miserably in that regard. When we factor in inflation, SAFETEA's $247 billion funding level would mean a flatline of current transportation spending. While I admire the administration's laser-like focus on flatlining surface transportation investments in their proposal, the fact of the matter is that SAFETEA is shortsighted and inadequate. The administration's SAFETEA proposal is too little, too late, especially in today's gloomy economy. We now have 6.1 percent unemployment rate. This is the highest level since July, 1994. The unemployment rate for construction workers is even higher at 7.1 percent. In a time where nearly 9 million Americans are out of work, over 4 million Americans are underemployed, and nearly 2 million Americans have been out of a job for more than 6 months, we need something more than SAFETEA.”