On the recordJune 19, 2012
I thank the gentleman for yielding. Mr. Speaker, I couldn't agree more with my colleague from Minnesota, and I rise in support of his motion to instruct. We will continue to stand ready to negotiate with the Senate. As a conferee, I have partaken in some of these meetings myself and have negotiated in good faith with Senate staff. Unfortunately, no Senators. The highway trust fund is bankrupt, and the Federal highway program is in need of serious reform. Congressman Walz is quite correct in that we cannot continue to kick this can down the road. And I will say the conferee House positions are fair and practical. Allowing States the flexibility in order to address their specific transportation needs just makes sense. We have a $15.7 trillion debt; 46 percent of our debt is foreign owned, 30 percent owned by one country, China. We do not have the luxury, as the Senate bill requires, to spend money on things like wildflowers and, at the same time, the trust fund is bankrupt. And as Mr. Walz and Mr. DeFazio point out, bridges are in disrepair and roads are crumbling. We need to get our priorities in order. The House bill consolidates and eliminates programs, as opposed to creating $3 billion a year and increasing new programs like the Senate bill. This is not extreme; it's fiscally responsible.…
