Kay Bailey Hutchison: “I hope in the end I will be able to support the bill. At this point, I could not possibly do that because of the…”

“I hope in the end I will be able to support the bill. At this point, I could not possibly do that because of the inequity to Texas. Most of the goods that drive our economy ride on our Nation's highways in large part because over the past 50 years the Federal Aid Highway Program has assisted the States in producing one of the world's finest highway and mass transit networks. Today, there are other critical needs to be addressed different from those in the 1950s, particularly the amount of trade that is stemming from NAFTA and the increased burden on our infrastructure that NAFTA produces. Although strong trade partnerships with our neighbors--Mexico and Canada--have provided substantial national benefits, the resultant traffic is devastating to our Nation's infrastructure. Back in the 1950s, our smaller States and Western States needed the extra help at the expense of States such as Texas. But now, I think, every State has more of an ability to contribute to its own infrastructure.”