Political Quotes

“we are very sensitive to this issue. That is why we increased the Federal share in this program from 80 percent to 90 percent. But we do believe that there is a State interest here. The Federal government does not have all the responsibility, even though we have increased the responsibility from 80 percent to 90 percent. Beyond that, in TEA-21, we increased the funds for safety by 44 percent. It is the States which are making the decisions as to where they get the most bang for the buck in safety. Mr. Chairman, there are over 40,000 people killed on our highways every year. We think it is quite appropriate for the States to decide whether they want to put their money. In terms of the efficiency of saving lives, the bang for the buck in saving lives, it is very clear that lighting, straightening curves, guard rails, do provide more bang for the buck. Nevertheless, we recognize this problem as one of many problems, and that is why we have increased it from 80 percent to 90 percent. I insist upon my point of order.”