Political Quotes

“we are now asked to vote on a bill authorizing the expenditure of more than $200 billion. No member of the Senate other than a handful of conferees has seen a copy of the bill; no one knows anything about its major policy implication. The Senate bill allowed each state's money to be spent as each state determined. This bill included hundreds of Congressionally designated projects in both the highway and mass transit accounts. Although the earmarked Washington state projects were all appropriate in the highway category, the mass transit title did not treat my state fairly. The Regional Transit Authority, perhaps the most cost-effective project in the nation, was less fairly treated than projects abandoned by the communities for which they are authorized. Even more importantly, the general highway fund distribution formula discriminates unfairly against Washington state. It returns to us a lower percentage of our motor vehicle fuel taxes than does present law, the original Senate bill, or the House bill. Our conferees in the Senate did not represent us well. The bill is full of pork and unfair. I will vote against it.”