Jack Reed: “I commend Chairman Inhofe for his great effort to move the highway provisions forward. I very much would like to speak…”

“I commend Chairman Inhofe for his great effort to move the highway provisions forward. I very much would like to speak about the public transit issue. Let me begin by commending Chairman Shelby and Ranking Member Sarbanes for their extraordinary efforts on a bipartisan basis to ensure that we continue the success that we have enjoyed since TEA-21 with our public transit programs throughout the country. I also thank Senators Daschle, Jeffords, Santorum, and Baucus for their efforts to convince the Finance Committee to provide us with the adequate resources that were necessary to bring this transit bill to the floor. The bill before us today is a strong step forward toward meeting our Nation's significant transit needs. Over the course of the last 2 years, I had the opportunity, first, to serve as chairman of the Subcommittee on Housing and Transportation of the Banking Committee, and then as ranking member to my colleague, Senator Wayne Allard of Colorado. Our joint tenure as chair and ranking member, respectively, allowed us to look deeply at the issues confronting transit throughout the United States.”