Political Quotes

“Mr. Speaker, the other bill that will benefit from consideration under this open rule is H.R. 5972, which provides funding aimed at supporting a vibrant and safe transportation infrastructure while making the difficult decisions needed to balance the budget. The bill includes $17.6 billion in discretionary appropriations for the Department of Transportation for fiscal year 2013. This is $69 million below last year's level. The bill designates $39.1 billion from the highway trust fund for the Federal highway program, which is the same level provided last year. However, the committee recognizes that since the highway program still requires reauthorization and the funding level provided in the bill may change upon the enactment of a highway authorization bill for the next fiscal year, the Appropriations Committee is prepared to support a differing highway trust fund spending level should a new multiyear authorization bill be enacted. Included in the legislation is $12.6 billion for the Federal Aviation Administration, which is $91 million above last year's level. The bill provides nearly $1 billion for the FAA's Next Generation Air Transportation System, otherwise known as NextGen, allowing the FAA to move forward with the next step in modernizing the Nation's air control and airport system. The bill also supports operations and staffing, which will help ease congestion and reduce delays for travelers in U.S.…”