Political Quotes

“Mr. President, I rise today to congratulate Chairman Barrasso and Ranking Member Carper on their introduction of the EPW Committee's 5-year infrastructure bill, the America's highway infrastructure act. Back in Indiana, as a member of the State Legislature, in 2017 we did what some States are doing and many haven't yet. We actually did a long-term road funding and bridge infrastructure bill. As a Main Street entrepreneur there in just my third year in the State Legislature, we accomplished things that nobody said could get done, because we made the case that for the crossroads of America, we needed to make sure our roads and bridges were going to be there in safe shape for future generations. No matter where I go, I hear almost everyone unanimously wanting better roads and bridges. Ironically, even in a State like the Hoosier State, 70 percent of constituents wanted better roads but didn't want their taxes to go up. We had to make the case--and it wasn't hard for me to do as a fiscal conservative--that if you are in a State like Indiana and your comparative advantage is the crossroads of America, why wouldn't you want a tangible asset to be in good shape that everyone can enjoy? We also did it from a position of strength. We run a balanced budget, generally with a surplus every year, and we passed a balance budget amendment. So it was not difficult to talk about investing in the future when you were doing it from a position of strength.…”