[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 38 (Monday, March 30, 1998)]
[House]
[Page H1706]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                             SUPPORT BESTEA

  (Mr. METCALF asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. METCALF. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 2400, the 
Building Efficient Surface Transportation and Equity Act or BESTEA. The 
House will consider BESTEA on Wednesday, and I urge my colleagues to 
support this violation legislation.
  BESTEA provides $217 billion in contract authority from the Highway 
Trust Fund over the next 6 years. This amount represents a 43 percent 
increase in funding over the 6 years of ISTEA. Further, this 
legislation was off the Transportation Trust Fund and ends the assault 
on the fund to mask the deficit and fund other domestic priorities.
  A few of my colleagues have expressed concern over funding levels in 
BESTEA, and I would like to address this for a moment. Mr. Speaker, 
BESTEA keeps our commitment to the American people to spend gas tax 
revenue solely for transportation.
  Mr. Speaker, I am a budget hawk who came here to balance the budget. 
BESTEA ends the Washington charade of masking the deficit with money 
that should have been spent on the Nation's transportation. I look 
forward to the overwhelming passage of BESTEA Wednesday and urge my 
colleagues to support it.

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