I am embarrassed that I have not come prior to tonight and said something about GEN Al Lenhardt. I have served in the Senate a long time, and we have had some very fine Sergeants at Arms. But for the time and place, he was what we needed…

And do you expect to involve stakeholders in the development of this transportation plan?

When do you expect to release a transportation strategic plan?

Senator Reid and I, with great help from Senator Stevens, last week led the fight here in the Senate to add significant sums to the fiscal year 2003 supplemental to cover projected heightened security costs that the Department did not…

The administration's proposals are inadequate to fund ongoing projects at anything other than minimal levels.

the only obstacle to your progress and ability to meet the license application deadline of 2004 is a lack of funds?

If I could just say this, I want to tell you how much I appreciate you holding a meeting on Monday.

I think it has worked extremely well.

I am not going to defend any counties that are spending Federal dollars inappropriately if that, in fact, is the case.

We need to turn to the higher dollar totals you are getting now and for the next few years into verifiable progress in getting clean-ups done more quickly and at lower cost.

You were visionary in being able to do it.

This is about $600 million less or a 14 percent cut from the amount enacted in 2003.

Tell me why you would not involve stakeholders.

The budget that OMB submitted for the Army Corps is totally inadequate.

But you cannot do that with no money, can you?

Yes, I think it would be a good idea, don't you?

But you do not necessarily agree that was a good decision, do you?

Do you have people that are keeping track of the litigation that is ongoing with Yucca Mountain?

I am very pleased that someone, somehow, has worked through the Office of Management and Budget, and the Executive Branch has finally recognized that this is a truly long-term initiative of great significance.

I think that would be the right thing to do.

Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman.

I plan to work aggressively with Ranking Member Byrd, Chairman Stevens and Chairman Domenici to ensure that this Subcommittee gets the resources needed to fund these two vital organizations properly.

Congress has to. So I plan to work with the subcommittee, Chairman Stevens, Ranking Member Byrd, and Chairman Domenici to ensure that this subcommittee gets the resources needed to fund these vital organizations properly.

I do not want to be rude. You are reading an answer that there is no question to it.

But you see, that is the problem that a number of people had, and that is, how can you have a license application if you have not done anything about transportation, because they should be one and the same.