Political Quotes

“Mr. President, I rise to speak about an issue of great importance to millions of my constituents in New York, our Nation's transportation system, particularly public transit. This is the very lifeline that millions rely on to get to and from work, to bring their paychecks home every single day to their families at night. Various proposals that have been put forth throughout the course of the debate in both the House and the Senate would actually slash funding for mass transit. The proposal advanced by the House Republicans last month to eliminate the mass transit account of the highway funds was a stunning misunderstanding of our Nation's transit needs. Cutting off public transit from its traditional funding source without providing viable alternatives is irresponsible. In fact, former Congressman and now Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood called the House bill ``the worst transportation bill'' he had ever seen. Let me state some clear facts. New York's Metropolitan Transit Authority is the Nation's largest public transportation system, operating over 8,000 rail and subway cars and nearly 6,000 buses. On an average weekday, nearly 8.5 million Americans ride these trains, subways, and buses operated by the MTA to commute to work or to visit the city, which generates enormous economic revenue, not just for New York but for our country. Moving these riders into cars flies in the face of any sound environmental public policy and furthers our dependence on Middle Eastern oil.…”