[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 67 (Tuesday, May 20, 1997)]
[House]
[Page H2935]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




       THE MOST IMPORTANT TRANSPORTATION AND INFRASTRUCTURE VOTE

  (Mr. SHUSTER asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. SHUSTER. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to alert our colleagues that 
we will be faced later today with the single most important 
transportation and infrastructure vote not only in this Congress, but 
for the next 6 years, because the vote today on transportation funding 
on our amendment will determine whether or not we are going to have the 
barely adequate funds necessary to reauthorize ISTEA and to deal with 
the donor State equity issue. Indeed, if our amendment passes, we are 
committed to dealing with the donor State equity issue.
  The levels in the budget resolution are simply too low. It continues 
the dishonest practice of using trust fund revenue to mask the general 
fund deficit.
  Get this. If the budget resolution passes without our amendment, the 
$33 billion which is the balance today in the transportation trust fund 
will be raised to $65 billion in the next 5 years, and those are not my 
numbers, those are CBO numbers.
  Forty-nine Governors have signed a letter saying transportation 
levels are too low. So join us, support our amendment, and we will be 
able to fund transportation and achieve a balanced budget.

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