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

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

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

I have proposed the idea of just taxing oil speculators.

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.

I strongly support, vehemently support passing the surface transportation bill.

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

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

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

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?

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

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

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…

I have immense respect for the President and Secretary of Transportation, but we elected this President on a platform of change.

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

I proposed the idea of bonding by putting a construction cost inflation on the gas tax and delaying that until such a time as the economy recovers.

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

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

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

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

I am proposing a very simple revenue issue and I gave it to Chief of Staff this morning.

So it doesn't sound like we have a red tape problem here.

We just had a law change regarding the Recovery Act signed by the President yesterday that may serve to retain even more jobs.

Well, 450 is trust funded or General Fund into transit. Of that, because of the way scoring and outlays work, we need to raise an additional $140 billion.