John Culberson: “No, I will not yield. The amendment is very narrowly drawn, Mr. Chairman, so that it only affects my district. I wrote…”

“No, I will not yield. The amendment is very narrowly drawn, Mr. Chairman, so that it only affects my district. I wrote this amendment because it says that no money can be spent on rail in my district. In the boundaries of District Seven, which is west of Shepherd on Richmond, and on Post Oak, north of Richmond and south Post Oak, those lines are entirely in my district. The people of my district--I have polled them--oppose this line, and 80 percent of the folks who own property or who live or work on those two streets don't want it. The voters did not approve the line on Richmond. It was not on the ballot. The people on Post Oak do not want it. It will destroy The Galleria. Mr. Poe is advocating for the construction of rail on Richmond and Post Oak, which will destroy those two streets. The Richmond line is not approved by the voters, and the Post Oak line will destroy that area. Houston METRO has no money to build it. They can't afford it. There is no money in this bill or in any other bill to pay for these lines. In fact, for the lines that have been approved by the voters, METRO is building a rail line on the east side of town, which I support, because the voters approved it. The local transit authority is spending $3,000 an inch to build a rail line on the east side of Houston. This is a waste of money. We simply cannot afford it. That is why the Citizens Against Government Waste opposes Mr. Poe's amendment. That is why Americans for Tax Reform opposes Mr.…”