David Minge: “I certainly respect what the chairman of this committee has attempted to do in regulating and limiting inappropriate…”

“I certainly respect what the chairman of this committee has attempted to do in regulating and limiting inappropriate earmarks and demonstration projects. I also wish to pay tribute to the Committee on Appropriations, and the work of the honorable chairman of the Subcommittee on Surface Transportation and the guidance he has provided this Chamber in stopping the demonstration highway earmarking process. Mr. Chairman, the purpose of this amendment is to confirm that if the highway trust fund indeed goes off-budget, we no longer engage in this practice. Instead, what we are doing is, we are collecting funds, we are remitting the funds to the States on a formula basis, and the States are then allocating these funds for projects as the States establish their priorities. Mr. Chairman, I recognize that some people have problems with the way the States function, but I think the day has come when we need to say to the States, 'We repose in you a certain level of trust and confidence, and if you abuse that confidence we will hold you to a higher standard,' not that we will attempt to determine on our own here in Washington how funds ought to be micromanaged around the country.”