Surface Transportation Extension Act of 2004, Part II

SURFACE TRANSPORTATION EXTENSION ACT OF 2004, PART II -- (House of Representatives - April 28, 2004)

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Mr. BLUMENAUER. Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the gentleman's courtesy in permitting me to speak on this bill. I appreciate his eloquence and the leadership that we have had from our committee.

The gentleman from Alaska (Chairman Young), the gentleman from Minnesota (Ranking Member OBERSTAR), the gentleman from Wisconsin (Chairman PETRI), and the gentleman from Illinois (Ranking Member LIPINSKI) have worked hard to keep faith with this body, to deliver a transportation bill that is right sized for America's needs.

In that effort, they have kept faith with the broadest coalition we have seen in the history of infrastructure development. We have everybody from the Chamber of Commerce to the Sierra Club, the bicyclists, to the people who put down asphalt, to the women who are frankly the single most aggressive, articulate, and I think intimidating spokespeople, the Women's Garden Club of America, all are arrayed behind the principle that this country should invest in the infrastructure that we need for today and for tomorrow.

Our committee has responded under the leadership of the gentlemen I just mentioned. We have worked with the other body. It is not what America needs, but it is in keeping with the realities that we can get through this Congress. It is a concession to the administration, although what we will settle for is far less than what we know America needs. We have scaled down. The administration to this point is saying that unless there is a 10 percent cut in real transportation spending over the next 6 years, they will not let it pass.

That is unconscionable. We have an opportunity to draw upon money that Americans have invested in trust funds. We have an opportunity to generate more tax dollars by this strategic investment. We have an opportunity not just to keep faith with our colleagues and with this broad coalition; we have an opportunity to keep faith with the American public. We have bridges that are crumbling. We have economic opportunities in our cities. We have a chance to take this coalition that is alive and well in every State, every region, every city to bring it together with local and private resources that will turn the economy around. It will make our communities more livable, it will make our families safer, healthier, and more economically secure.

We have reached the point, if we cannot, with this extension, reach agreement for this minimally-sized package that the House and the Senate is working on, then I think we ought to just admit the wheels have fallen off, extend it for another 8 months until we get past the election. Then, maybe, we can act like grownups and give Americans the transportation bill they deserve.

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