Political Quotes

“Mr. President, an unusual event occurred yesterday in the Environment and Public Works Committee--a major bill reauthorizing America's transportation infrastructure for 5 years passed the committee by a 21-to-0 vote. That is the way we should be able to operate on a subject that I think enjoys universal support in the Senate; that is, making sure the Federal partnership for infrastructure is not only reauthorized but also increased because we know the infrastructure needs of this country have only gotten more challenging. I want to start by complimenting the leadership of the Environment and Public Works Committee. Chairman Barrasso and Ranking Member Carper worked very closely together on this bill, including the input of all members of the committee as well as Members of the Senate. The Subcommittee on Transportation and Infrastructure, chaired by Senator Capito, and I am the ranking Democrat on the committee, also worked very well in developing this Transportation Infrastructure Reauthorization Act. As I pointed out originally, the needs are urgent, and the leadership of the committee recognized that. In every one of our States, we know the unmet needs of infrastructure, maintaining our existing infrastructure, and replacing our bridges that are falling down, dealing with our transit systems, dealing with the needs to deal with congestion.…”