[Congressional Record Volume 150, Number 106 (Thursday, September 9, 2004)]
[Senate]
[Page S8983]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                          HIGHWAY LEGISLATION

  Mr. LOTT. Madam President, I was pleased to see the majority leader 
say yesterday he was still holding out hope we could get a highway bill 
completed before we go out for the election. To me this should not be 
about the election, but it should be a major focus of what we are 
doing. Another week is about to go by without any real apparent 
movement on the highway bill. Why? Why isn't the conference getting 
this job done? It would mean jobs instantly from Alaska to Mississippi 
and from Maryland to California, because the projects are ready to go, 
but the money and the new authorizations and new formulas are not in 
place.
  Some suggestion was made yesterday, perhaps we could get together 
with the House and Senate, the President, and do a 1-year extension. 
Why? Why would we want to extend the current program? It needs to be 
bigger and better. It needs to be updated. We haven't done this now in 
4 or 5 years. It is time to have a highway bill.
  It is not only about highways. It is about highways and bridges and 
abutments and public transportation and innovative programs that take 
advantage of modern technology. We need to upgrade this law.
  One other thing. Every day that passes, every week that passes, 
people are being killed on highways because they are not modern and are 
not safe. That is what drives me the most. I know too many cases of 
people who have died on narrow, hilly, inadequate roads in my State and 
I am sure all over the country.
  I am not going to let up on this. As long as we are in session, I am 
going to keep asking the question: Why aren't we doing a highway bill? 
There is plenty of blame to go around. But there is no need to get into 
that. I want to give credit. I want to praise the chairman of the 
committee and the ranking member, Senate and House, and the leadership 
for getting the job done. But I don't think that is happening. I don't 
quite understand why.
  Is there some decision that has been made, some silent conspiracy to 
extend it, do it another day? Maybe we could get more money next year. 
Maybe we could raise taxes next year and get it even bigger.
  Of all of those, if that is the thought, that is wrong. We need to 
get a bill that is at a level we can defend as being one that is going 
to be paid for by gasoline taxes, how we use the trust fund, maybe some 
changes in how that is handled, but we need to find a way to get it 
done now. We should find a bill the House can pass, the Senate can 
pass, and the President can sign. Let's do it and let's do it now.
  We could complete this bill within a week. Why don't we do it?
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. All time has expired on the majority side.
  The Senator from Nevada.
  Mr. REID. Madam President, I will take 2 minutes from our side. I 
have already allocated that.
  Let me simply say, I appreciate my friend from Mississippi trying to 
be a leader of the Senate, being chairman of a committee, doing all 
those things he is very capable of doing.
  The fact is, there is blame to go around on the highway bill. I hope 
we can pass a bill. I hope we can finish the conference. But let's 
understand why we are in the predicament we are in today.
  The Senate passed a bill of $318 billion--not a Cadillac version, 
probably a low level Chevrolet or Ford, barely enough to keep the 
functions of our transit highway systems together. That bill, passed 
with four or five dissenting votes, did not increase the deficit 2 
cents, not 1 cent. It did not increase the deficit. Suddenly, out of 
nowhere, the President said he will veto the bill. You figure that one 
out. No one else can.
  As a result, the President has locked in a number. He was at 256. Now 
they have a number that is 289. They say it is 299, but it probably 
isn't. It doesn't allow the highway and transit functions to go on.
  We are trying. I spent time with Senator Inhofe on Tuesday and 
Wednesday. Hopefully something can be arrived at. But at that number, 
it is very difficult, if not impossible, to do.
  The Senator from Oklahoma and I have an agreement. That agreement is, 
if I don't like the bill, he is not going to support it. If he doesn't 
like the bill, I am not going to support it. That is one of the 
arrangements we made to go to conference.
  I am doing everything within my abilities. I have been chairman of 
the full committee on two separate occasions. I am speaking for the 
chairman of the committee, Senator Jeffords. I am doing everything 
within my power to come up with an arrangement so we can have a highway 
bill. But unless it is good for the country, I am not going to approve 
it. That is the arrangement Senator Inhofe and I made. If people don't 
like it, that is part of what goes on around here. We have to work with 
each other on different issues.
  Let me finally say: I have the greatest respect for my friend from 
Mississippi. But he has not been in on all the arrangements we have 
made on this bill. It has been very difficult. It was hard to complete 
the bill at $318 billion. As we were doing the $318 billion 
legislation--this is a 6-year bill--the House was talking about $375 
billion. I was not able to hear all of the comments of the Senator from 
Mississippi. I was with Senator Domenici working on the energy and 
water bill. But I do not apologize to anyone for what the Senate did on 
a $318 billion highway transit bill that was approved by this Senate 
overwhelmingly because it was a good bill.
  I am sorry. For reasons I dare anybody to determine why, a bill that 
doesn't increase the deficit at all, the President says it is too much 
money. I will not get into some of the reasons I believe he did this 
other than to say I am going to continue to work to see if we can come 
up with a bill. I will do everything I can. But I am laying out as much 
as I can the position we find ourselves in today.
  How much time did I consume?
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator consumed 3\1/2\ minutes.
  Mr. REID. The Senator from New Jersey then would have 18 minutes. The 
Senator from Arkansas will have 8\1/2\ minutes. I think that works out 
right.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from New Jersey is recognized.

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