Bud Shuster: “Let me say first to the gentlewoman from California thank you for your valuable contribution in putting this bill…”

“Let me say first to the gentlewoman from California thank you for your valuable contribution in putting this bill together and your hard work in committee. We thank you for that. You played an important role in developing this bill. Once again, the Nationally Significant Freight and Highways Projects program in the bill was carefully crafted. We do have a 10 percent set- aside, as you mentioned, for some of these smaller programs and projects, but the idea is to really have these large projects. Let's focus on them. Once again, in southern California and that region, you have numerous projects there that are going to far exceed $100 million. Around the country, whether it is in Texas or in New Jersey or in New York, we have got these projects. We believe that we have crafted this to be able to really get those dollars to those projects to be able to move them forward. Again, just like the last amendment, if you cobble together a couple of smaller ones, then you take away money for smaller projects. Then we are not going to get the impact that we need. So, again, I appreciate the gentlewoman's passion, and I appreciate her work on the committee. But at this time, I have to oppose the amendment. Madam Chair, I yield back the balance of my time.”