Political Quotes

“I respond, yes, that is correct. That is accurate. I think that is very important too because we have been talking about this bill for a long period of time. We actually started trying to get a highway reauthorization bill way back in 2009, when the old bill from 2005 expired. But the problem is--and I want to get back to where I was--there is an alternative to this bill. If we defeat this bill, we go back to extensions. If we go back to extensions, first of all, we are losing about 30 percent of the money off the top. Everybody knows that. Secondly, we don't get these reforms. If people are concerned out there--conservatives--that they want to defeat this and go back to extensions, they are not going to have reform with the enhancements. Right now the law requires 10 percent, depending on how we want to put it, in total funding or 2 percent of surface transportation. That has to be spent on transportation enhancements. My good friend, the chairman of the committee, Senator Boxer, and I disagree on enhancements. She likes them; I don't. I want money to be spent on concrete, on roads and bridges. This is what I think we should be doing. But that is a disagreement we had and so we had a compromise where she can have--and anyone can have--what they want. It is an oversimplification, but it means, yes, this money is going to be put into something. It can be enhancements.…”