Kit Bond

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.

Are you going to work with the USDA on rural development?

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.

Thank you very much, Madam Chair, and thank you for holding the important hearing.

This is a very, very important investment, and we want to work with you on it.

In the Heartland, highways don't work unless you have a bridge across the river.

Good, good. And I--and I--those are--that's what I'm asking...

Sometimes those numbers are pretty scary, because it's the taxpayer dollar that we're putting at risk.

I just would like to know the total estimated cost, where the funding is going to come from...

I'm sorry, I believe we have an experience with the highways. We know how important they are.

I will put a whole lot more money on that one than on spending billions on high-speed rail.

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

If you build it, they will come.

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

Are we spending it properly?

I want to know what the total cost of all these wonderful high-speed rail plans are and what is the justification.

I think it was far too little, because we could have used a whole lot more for highways and bridges.

We are borrowing from our children and our grandchildren.

I think there is a growing realization that we need to get these deficits under control.

To go in and be building sidewalks, when there is a--there are such transportation needs.

But, when did it become the responsibility of the Federal Department of Transportation to build sidewalks?

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

I don't think the Department of Transportation is in the business of determining the state of the communities.

I'm just saying, the system is not working, and I need to know, before we put more money in.

We have a right, these days, to know: What were the criteria? What were the applications?