Jim Inhofe: “First of all, there is no one I have a higher regard for than the man who was elected with me to the other body in 1986…”

“First of all, there is no one I have a higher regard for than the man who was elected with me to the other body in 1986, Senator Kyl, the junior Senator from Arizona, and they elected him then to come over to this body in 1984. We are both conservatives. He has heard me say many times when I was first elected to the other body, I got on the Transportation Committee and the reason I did it was because I always felt the conservatives were pretty big spenders in two areas. One is national defense and the other is infrastructure. That is what we are sent here for. Apparently, the most recent poll I saw shows the vast majority of the people, 69 percent, are willing to spend more money if it will be spent on highways, roads, and bridges. I see that as what we are here for. I have to address the fact that there are a lot of amendments that have come up. I have stood here for 2 weeks trying to get people to propose amendments, to discuss their amendments. We sit down here and we talk about everything there is to talk about until now at last there is hysteria that we do not have time to bring up our amendments. There has been plenty of time. I have to say, too, to my good friend, the junior Senator from Arizona, it is because of the senior Senator from Arizona that we have not been able to bring up the amendments because they are objecting to any motions to bring them down to vote.”