Political Quotes

“Madam President, it appears I first need to say to my colleague and to those who are listening, there is no one in this body, in the trucking industry, among their customers who wants to see trucking accidents. All of us are committed to safer roads, and to make sure that freight is delivered in a safe manner in this country. In fact, the former Administrator of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration said in a letter to the committee dated June 17: The fact is the Senate Transportation, Housing and Urban Development bill which contains a temporary suspension of two new provisions in the 34-hour restart rule makes the roads safer. Makes the roads safer. That is what this debate is about. I am very disappointed to see that the Senator from New Jersey is otherwise engaged and not listening to these comments. Let me start with a fact. The fact is, under current law, under the Collins amendment, under the provisions we reported in the Appropriations Committee, it is illegal for any driver to operate a commercial motor vehicle when that driver's ability or alertness is impaired through fatigue, illness, or any other cause so as to make his or her driving unsafe. That is illegal. That is illegal now. That will continue to be illegal if our provisions become law.…”