This is not Washington speaking.

We're not going to sit around on our hands and wait for something to happen.

Safety is our No. 1 priority in all of our modes.

We are committed to doing that at the Department and some of these things have just taken too long.

I want to thank you, Chairman Dodd, for your leadership in placing this important issue on the national agenda.

I think the story today is that your leadership has brought us together and we are grateful to you.

I am committed to ensuring that our transportation policies help unite and strengthen communities.

I think what we would do is look at the $8 billion as an opportunity to begin several corridor opportunities.

I think we may use the model that we used for the highway money, where we invited all the State DOT secretaries to Washington.

So transparency and making sure that every dollar is spent correctly are the watchwords.

I think there is no question about that, Senator, given the fact that the President has included $1 billion each year for the next 5 years in addition to the $8 billion that you all passed in the economic recovery.

The Recovery Act is an extraordinary response to a crisis unlike any since the Great Depression.

I think Congress needs to consider allowing transit districts to use part of their money for operations.

I think it was the point that Senator Johanns was also making. Freight rail is very important in America.

The Administration is not going to be for raising taxes to increase the Highway Trust Fund.

The Recovery Act is not an end in itself. It is, rather, the beginning of a new direction for transportation policy in this country.

President Obama recognizes that strengthening our transportation infrastructure is tied to broader efforts to restore our economy.

We would love if Congress would give Coast Guard back to DOT.

I think it is better left to Congress.

I think we have to make a commitment to continue to make sure that the state-of-the-art interstate system that we have in this country is well maintained.

Transportation has always been critical to America's economic health and competitiveness.

We should do that. That has to be a priority.

In a very short time, your cities will be humming with construction workers, engineers, maintenance crews, and many others. You will see roads repaved, interchanges improved, and bus and rail systems repaired, upgraded, and expanded.

You need that transportation.

That is the kind of innovative thinking we need to be doing with transit districts.