Political Quotes

“I want to turn to transportation. In Iraq, the President has budgeted $835 million for three new Iraqi airports, $240 million for road and bridge repairs. Last year, the President's budget cut 10 percent of the Corps of Engineers. This year an additional 5 percent. We are struggling beginning with a highway and transportation bill here in the United States, that are investments that everybody knows in this Chamber, in this body, both in a bipartisan consensus, that it is essential to our investment and our economic strategy. Iraq already has a highway and mass transit bill. They are getting new airports, three of them. Chicago, we are trying to rebuild our O'Hare Airport, which provides 150,000 jobs. They have $240 million for roads and bridges. Yet, the President's budget for the United States cuts $300 million in Federal highway funding, $50 million in essential air service program, $318 million cut in Amtrak, $600 million cut in mass transit funding. These are not the investments that lead to an America ready to seize the 21st century and make it as great as the 20th century. These are not the type of economic strategies. I know there is bipartisan consensus. The one thing you would think if you produced only 21,000 jobs last month when you need 200,000 a month just to stay even, the economy has lost 3 million jobs since the date the President was sworn in.”