Ted Budd: “A couple of things. I look at this, and this still allows funding of existing projects and infrastructure, but it also…”

“A couple of things. I look at this, and this still allows funding of existing projects and infrastructure, but it also reduces the deficit, too. And I want to quote the Eno Center for Transportation here: ``It is obvious from the beginning of the timeline that the new Hudson River tunnel project was conceived as a way around Governor Christie's cancellation of the ARC tunnel project. Instead of having Jersey Transit as the sponsor like ARC, the new tunnel would be under the aegis of Amtrak.'' Mr. Chairman, this isn't about Amtrak funding. This is about funding for a single project in New Jersey that the State, itself, wouldn't fund in 2010. Amtrak funding for the Northeast Corridor account remains untouched under my amendment. We are talking about Amtrak funding for a single project. As the chairman, himself, has said, a significant proportion of the $328 million in the Northeast Corridor account will go to Amtrak. This is 300 times the size of an average earmark, when we had earmarks. We have an earmark ban in place right now. There is debate over this, but it is not fair with the ban in place that chairmen get huge earmarks and the rest of us, essentially, are banned. There should be one rule that applies to everyone, and right now the earmark ban is what applies. One-sixth of the non-aviation DOT money in this bill is going to Gateway. In what universe is that reasonable? Mr. Chairman, I reserve the balance of my time.”