Frank Lautenberg: “We certainly must consider that. If one looks back to the origination of the highway system, going back into the 1950's…”

“We certainly must consider that. If one looks back to the origination of the highway system, going back into the 1950's, much of that was designed to assure that, if necessary, our defense capability was strong, that we could move the traffic, move the equipment, move the personnel rapidly through our society. And that cannot be ignored. So that all of these things relate to the same needs. That emphasizes the fact--and once again I am grateful to my colleague and friend from Illinois--it emphasizes the fact that this has to be considered a national enterprise. And, suddenly, one region's gain against another's does little for the country. It may look like a new sector is gaining something. They gain nothing if they don't have the marketplace, if they don't have the access, if we can't move our troops and equipment, Heaven forbid at a critical time, rapidly and efficiently. Then we have lost a lot more than the simple gain from an adjustment, untimely as this one, frankly, seems to be.”