Don Nickles: “I also compliment my colleague, Senator Warner from Virginia, for his leadership on this. Senator Baucus, Senator…”

“I also compliment my colleague, Senator Warner from Virginia, for his leadership on this. Senator Baucus, Senator Graham, Senator Byrd, Senator Chafee--a lot of people--worked a long time on this bill. I hope we can finish this bill today. If not today, certainly this week. This is an important piece of legislation. The reason why I cosponsored the amendment of my colleague from Florida, Senator Mack, is because I happen to think he is right. I know a lot of work has been going into allocations. The Senators managing this bill have been bending over backwards to be fair to every Senator. I think they have been doing the best job they can and I compliment them on their work. But I happen to think Senator Mack is right. Should the gasoline tax be a prerogative of the State or the Federal Government? Should we all as colleagues have to bend and beg and plead? I do not really like doing that. I don't like asking for money in appropriations. I have done it on occasion. Senator Byrd has accommodated me on occasion when he was chairman of the Appropriations Committee. Sometimes Senator Stevens has. I appreciate that. But I really do not enjoy that nor do I enjoy, when we have a highway bill, saying, 'Oh, please, we need more money. We are not doing very well in this bill. We are not doing as well as I hoped.' We happen to be a donor State. I know Virginia has been. I know Florida has. I know a lot of States have. We don't like it.…”