Madam President, let me first thank the distinguished Senator from Illinois for his determined efforts, as well as my senior colleague in this body, Senator Jack Reed, for his determined efforts in trying to get to a resolution that will prevent the student loan interest rates from doubling. The Highway Bill I am here to speak about another problem--something very important to ordinary Americans that is also being jammed up as a result of obstruction and intransigence--and that is the highway bill. We had a March 31 deadline, the House and the Senate, to get a highway bill done. The Senate did its job; we got a highway bill done by March 31. The House did not do its job; they failed to get a highway bill done. Let me point out that we have been doing highway bills in Congress back since the Eisenhower administration, and this is not rocket science. So it is telling that the body at the other end of this building could not get a highway and bridge bill done by the March 31 deadline. So what did they do? They extended it and took us to conference on the Senate bill. Now, let's say a word about the Senate bill. The Senate bill is very hard to criticize. People sometimes criticize bills around here because they get jammed through; there isn't enough time; there aren't enough amendments; it is not bipartisan. None of those criticisms apply to the Senate bill.…
On the recordJune 6, 2012
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