Peter DeFazio

I have proposed the idea of just taxing oil speculators.

I have proposed taxing oil by the barrel, with the idea that some of that tax could flow upstream to the OPEC cartel.

America urgently needs a robust transportation bill along the lines of what you passed on May 24th.

I fully support you in your urgency to pass something, and we should do so, assert our authority as the United States Congress.

I would just say to the Administration: I don't get it.

But if we do an 18-month with no policy changes, it is going to kind of grind to a halt, right?

I applaud you and your Committee here for trying to put America back to work.

This delay here and this business as usual is really unfortunate. I am very disappointed in the Administration's position

Is that acceptable to this Administration, 18 months with no change in policy? Is that acceptable?

I agree with Chairman Oberstar. I read all the way through your testimony and I said this is really good.

I think that the Administration is being unnecessarily averse in underestimating the capability of the American public.

My State enacted a gas tax increase. We have the highest unemployment in America.

Or is that just a code word for we don't want to address revenues and increase investment in the Trust Fund until after 18 months?

How much more flexible can you get? Give me another idea?

The NCA II fears that the short-term injection of resources into the Nation's transportation system... will not have the intended result unless a longer range commitment to infrastructure spending through a timely reauthorization of the…

The NCA II respectfully requests that Congress move forward with the reauthorization of the Nation's surface transportation law as soon as possible.

I think that is the principal thing that has led the Administration to propose an 18-month extension.

Can we afford to walk away from six million jobs? I don't think so.

I believe that it would be an extraordinary mistake for this Congress to accede to the demands that popped out of the White House three weeks ago.

An 18-month extension in practice indefinitely postpones reauthorizing the law.

And to compare projects across modes and have flexibility----

Okay. Well, so we are basically waiting, and you guys have some big plans, but we don't know about them, and it has got to be done basically by the end of July.

I guess I would like to know what are the offsets, when are we going to see the cost benefit analysis, when are we going to see the policy changes?

Right. Well, I am well aware of that, and that is why we are concerned about 18 months versus the predictability of six years and enhanced investment to begin chipping away at our infrastructure deficit.

Yes, but the point is uncertainty. Okay, thank you. I don't think you have answered it.