Political Quotes

“I thank the gentleman because I wanted to make one other point. But I must confess that one of the other reasons that I am really deeply concerned about that now is that it wasn't just that we weren't able to do a deep dive on the causes of dysfunctionality and underinvestment in the IRS. It is no secret that one of my highest priorities as a Member of Congress and as a member of the Ways and Means Committee, was to be there to help us fulfill our responsibility on that committee dealing with the resources necessary to rebuild and renew America. It is no secret that America is falling apart while we are falling behind. We have a growing gap in our Highway Trust Fund that has lost 40 percent of its purchasing power. We are not able to meet our current commitments, let alone the commitments we have in the future. The Ways and Means Committee allowed the Superfund tax to expire. So now we have a Superfund to clean up toxic waste that has blighted communities across the country, but we no longer have a tax that pays for it. So that burden has been shifted to innocent parties and local government. I have been working with the last three chairs of our Ways and Means Committee, asking that we have some robust hearings on our responsibility for transportation. The Transportation and Infrastructure Committee deals with the authorization of the Surface Transportation Assistance Act, but the Ways and Means Committee is responsible for funding it.…”