David Price: “I appreciate my colleague's concern about the committee of jurisdiction, so I am happy to be able to yield such time as…”

“I appreciate my colleague's concern about the committee of jurisdiction, so I am happy to be able to yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Oregon (Mr. DeFazio), the chairman of that committee. Mr. DeFAZIO. Mr. Chair, this is a ridiculous issue, to put it mildly. This administration has taken two totally contradictory positions on this. Prior to this administration, if you had a TIFIA loan, you were responsible for paying it back with local funds. It was counted as a local match. It is their obligation. They have to pay it back. They have to pay the loan fees. They have to pay for everything that is involved. Then, in the first year of this administration, they said it is local. It counts as a match. Oh, wait a minute, a year ago, they changed their mind. Exactly 1 year apart: June 29, 2017, TIFIA loans will be considered a local match; June 29, 2018, they will not be considered a local match. They will be considered as Federal money, ineligible. What happened in between? I don't know. I think it had something to do with the Portal Bridge in New Jersey and the Gateway Program, and President Trump being in a dispute with the Democratic leader of the Senate. This is about politics, plain and simple, rotten politics, for critical infrastructure that this country needs. If a jurisdiction borrows money--they borrowed it, they have to pay it back--that doesn't count.…”