Kit Bond

Now, while we are asking easy questions, as you have indicated and the chair has indicated, as you know, we are debating a financial regulation bill on the floor.

The spigot of taxpayer dollars flowing into the GSEs cannot stay on indefinitely.

I hope that you will look at how you can streamline that to--they are telling me I have got one minute left on the vote.

We are kind of looking at hither and yon, but we need to have where we are rather than hither and yon.

You gave us some money, and we'll spend it.

I have some concerns about if there is a cutback in the 2012 budget based on problems with the deficit.

I am still waiting for real transparency in the current administration grant making process.

I think when TRA was promised, was proposed--the legislation was promised this month--it is clearly a big and controversial effort, had lots of questions with it.

I do not see it as the responsibility of any Federal agency to tell our towns and cities what would make their communities more livable or sustainable.

I think there needs to be broader criteria, as well.

I had raised those earlier, Pat, before you came, and they had--we had one little $25 million rural housing program for HUD to work with USDA, and that was gone.

And because we were not a good wind market until recently, until the last 5 years, the turbines were developed and manufactured abroad.

What an economic engine the interstate system has been for places all over America.

We want to know how--I mean, are we wasting money on HOME. I thought that HOME was going to do that.

I know this: Americans want high-speed passenger rail.

Are there any dedicated sources of funding that you're looking at, outside of putting Acela-type trains on, that generate a profit?

It's a question of priorities.

As a former Governor, I can tell you that looking to the States to make massive investments in high-speed rail is not going to happen anytime soon.

I am not going to vote for it until I have that path laid out.

I want to thank you, as Senator Alexander did, for your commitment to loan guarantees to bring the best clean energy, nuclear energy on line.

Well, it has to be less costly.

I think most members, certainly over on the Senate side and, I would assume, on the House side, would like to know if there are 3, 10, 15, or 20 coming in from our State.

We need a lot of roads. And we are working on bridges.

I wish you the best in assuring their placement in that kind of facility.

And the other thing, I appreciate you mentioning my old friend, HOPE VI again.