Frank Lautenberg: “This debate is very illustrative of what will be at stake later this year. Senators should be aware that when we…”

“This debate is very illustrative of what will be at stake later this year. Senators should be aware that when we guarantee a certain percentage return of gas tax receipts in the law, the need to honor these guarantees will come from other States. If there is one pot and it goes to a group of States, it means the others are left out. Mr. President, this formula for distribution of highway funds in this supplemental appropriations bill was not developed willy-nilly. Frankly, this is, I think, the preamble to what we are going to be talking about later in the session. And I would say this, that my State, which sends down so much money that we are 49th on the list of return of the Federal dollar, will not stand by idly while we debate those things that advantage some and disadvantage others. This formula for the supplemental was constructed as an attempt to honor the obligations that these States incur as a result of the incredible traffic that goes through them.”