I think not many people knew that when we did our last, particularly the 2005 bill, we made an effort to listen to the States, recognizing that they know more what is good for them.

Even with the funding increases in the fiscal year 2016 President's budget we believe our current air and space advantages are increasingly at risk.

My top priority this year is to pass a fiscally responsible, long-term highway bill.

Defending America and building infrastructure that is it.

Quite often, and the reason I got on the committees that I did 20 years ago was because this is what we are supposed to be doing.

That was really a direct result of the changes that we made in coming to this point.

Congress cannot shirk our responsibility to get our work done this year.

If we do not have the resources to train and equip the force, our soldiers, our young men and women, are the ones who will pay the price, potentially with their lives.

Our military budget appears to be based on assumptions developed to cut the size and funding for our military, not to protect this Nation against potential future threats.

If we are forced to take further endstrength reductions beyond the planned levels in the President's fiscal year 2016 budget due to sequestration, our flexibility deteriorates, as does our ability to react to strategic surprise.

History has proven that failure to appropriately train and modernize the force will result in larger numbers of casualties and deaths.

Sequestration will challenge us to meet even our current level of commitments to our allies and partners around the world.