Frank Lautenberg: “I am a strong believer in increasing investment in transportation, whether for roads, bridges, rail systems, aviation…”

“I am a strong believer in increasing investment in transportation, whether for roads, bridges, rail systems, aviation, or mass transit. All modes of transportation are important, and all need to be supported. We have been working hard in the negotiations to increase total investment in transportation, and we have had some success. We have increased total transportation outlays over the President's request by more than $8 billion over the next 5 years. That is not as much as I would like, but it is a start. I would like to clarify one element of the budget agreement as it relates to spending the estimated revenues of the highway trust fund over the next 5 years. In an ideal world, I would support even higher spending levels from the highway trust fund. However, it is important to clarify that, while this agreement includes an assumption that we will spend from the highway trust fund the amounts equivalent to receipts currently estimated to come into the trust fund, the possibility that receipts will grow beyond the levels currently estimated could endanger our ability to comply with other equally important assumptions in this agreement including increased spending for mass transit and Amtrak.”