[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 37 (Friday, March 27, 1998)]
[House]
[Pages H1650-H1651]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




   CONGRESS SHOULD SPEND HIGHWAY TRUST FUNDS ON TRANSPORTATION NEEDS

  (Mr. BLUNT asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. BLUNT. Madam Speaker, next week we have a chance to give 
taxpayers some tax relief simply by spending their tax dollars the way 
they were supposed to be spent.
  We are going to be dealing in the House with a highway bill that has 
the potential to take the highway trust fund off budget so that it can 
never again be used to mask the size of the deficit. In other words, 
this highway bill enable us to spend highway money to really help the 
infrastructure and the transportation needs of America.
  If we are going to maintain a highway trust fund and collect tax 
revenues for it, then we should spend that money for transportation 
needs. If we can't do that, or won't do that, then we should eliminate 
the gas tax and the trust fund altogether.

[[Page H1651]]

  Many of our colleagues think we ought to continue to ``borrow'' from 
the highway trust fund to make the budget look better than it really 
is. We have a chance to say no to that kind of ``sleight of hand'' next 
week. Spending money for the purpose we tell taxpayers we're collecting 
it for is one of the kinds of tax relief that taxpayers will 
appreciate. One of our priorities should be ``truth in taxing.''

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