Political Quotes

“I rise today to alert our colleagues that we will be faced later today with the single most important transportation and infrastructure vote not only in this Congress, but for the next 6 years, because the vote today on transportation funding on our amendment will determine whether or not we are going to have the barely adequate funds necessary to reauthorize ISTEA and to deal with the donor State equity issue. Indeed, if our amendment passes, we are committed to dealing with the donor State equity issue. The levels in the budget resolution are simply too low. It continues the dishonest practice of using trust fund revenue to mask the general fund deficit. Get this. If the budget resolution passes without our amendment, the $33 billion which is the balance today in the transportation trust fund will be raised to $65 billion in the next 5 years, and those are not my numbers, those are CBO numbers. Forty-nine Governors have signed a letter saying transportation levels are too low. So join us, support our amendment, and we will be able to fund transportation and achieve a balanced budget.”