Frank Lautenberg: “My answer is that if there was--and there has been--a concern about the formulas by which funds were distributed, that a…”

“My answer is that if there was--and there has been--a concern about the formulas by which funds were distributed, that a review is certainly in order. But the review, in my view, ought to take place in an orderly fashion so it can be debated here on the floor, so it can be debated in the respective committees. There are several committees that have jurisdiction over parts of this. So it takes a little bit of time to get this done. Now, because we have procrastinated so long in getting this done, it seems we have to rush to put in the new bill. Something that affects so much of the way we function as a society I think deserves more than a rush to judgment. Frankly, my offhand suggestion would be that we extend the current bill for a period of time. And I think 6 months would be a disaster; probably a year, so that we can consider in a thoughtful forum what we ought to be looking at. The Senator mentioned something very interesting. Right now there has been a change in the manner, the philosophy of the way this body operates. Power has moved in a particular direction. But what goes around comes around, as is said. Are we going to be looking at changes in structure for something as important as our transportation infrastructure differently every time there is a power shift?”