Political Quotes

“Mr. President, I am pleased to present the Banking Committee's public transportation bill to the Senate as an amendment to the surface and transportation legislation now before us. The transit bill was reported by our committee unanimously. Maintaining investment in our Nation's transportation infrastructure is a priority of mine and of our committee. I wish to thank our committee's ranking member, Senator Shelby, who has worked for a long time on this bill. Without his support, this bipartisan legislation would not be possible. I also wish to thank our committee chairman, Senator Menendez, and all the other members of the committee who offered their contributions. With this bill, we have the opportunity to preserve public transportation funding for 2 years at current levels and deliver critical investments in the Nation's aging transportation infrastructure. In addition, the bill will institute much needed reforms, such as eliminating earmarks and speeding the construction of public transportation projects. The bill also includes transit safety provisions that have been stalled for 2 years. These are important reforms that many Senators have worked on. Now is the time to move them forward. Finally, our bill increases formula funding for all types of transit: additional urban and rural funds, new money for every State to address the state of good repair needs and more money for tribal transit.…”