[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 29 (Tuesday, March 1, 2011)]
[House]
[Pages H1401-H1402]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        HIGH-SPEED RAIL FUNDING

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from 
Florida (Ms. Brown) for 5 minutes.
  Ms. BROWN of Florida. Mr. Speaker and Members of the House, I rise 
today as the ranking member on the Transportation Subcommittee on 
Railroads. I have been on this committee for over 19 years. I serve on 
Transportation because it's one of the most bipartisan committees in 
the House.
  I have got to tell you I am very, very disappointed with Florida 
Governor Rick Scott. Last week, the Governor told Secretary of 
Transportation Ray LaHood that the State of Florida can do without the 
$2.5 billion for Federal highway rail funding. That's $2.5 billion, and 
90 percent of the project is funded with Federal tax dollars. That's 
money that Floridians sent to Washington that we are sending back to 
Florida, gasoline tax money, not money from any foreign source, by the 
way.
  In addition, it didn't just happen. We worked on it, bipartisan, for 
years. In fact, in 1980 Bob Graham appointed me to a committee to work 
on high-speed rail in Florida. Over 30 years we worked on it. And let 
me just tell you 90 percent of the funding would put over 60,000 
Floridians to work. It's 90 percent of the funding. Is the other 10 
percent there? Absolutely. The private

[[Page H1402]]

sector has indicated that they would put the 10 percent there.

                              {time}  1120

  I have model trains in front of me today. We have over eight 
companies committed to high-speed rail. In fact, we started the rail 
system in Florida in this country, the Florida Flagler. In this 
country, we started the rail system, and now we are the caboose; and 
they don't use cabooses anymore.
  But all of our partners, the Chinese, the French, eight different 
countries want to be our partners. They have indicated that they would 
put up the 10 percent because they want to have the first right of 
refusal to go from Orlando to Miami. And everybody knows that's the 
money maker. Well, why is the first portion that the State of Florida 
applied for and the legislature in Florida came to the Congress and 
asked us to be partners, why was that first leg the first leg? Because 
all of the environmental issues have been resolved. In other words, we 
could put rail in Florida tomorrow if this contract went out.
  Florida has 12 percent unemployment--12 percent--and in my area 15 
percent. The Governor says that he's not a politician--and I agree with 
him--but he says he's a businessman. What businessman would walk away 
from 90 percent funding? So, 90 percent funding, and you're a 
businessman? Well, he's concerned about Florida being left with the 10 
percent. Well, if you're a businessman, then you know attorneys. They 
can write it any way you want to make sure that we can protect the 
people of Florida. So that's not the issue. Money is not the issue. 
Liability is not the issue.
  This is the worst kind of politics I've seen since I've been elected. 
It's a sad state of affairs. The Governor says let's get to work. I 
agree with you, Mr. Governor, but you have to be working on something. 
You have to have some projects. Infrastructure is what put America to 
work.
  What projects do you have, Mr. Governor, in your budget? You say: 
Well, I want this money. I think it would be better used for ports. 
What's in your budget? Ports. Florida has 14 ports. We compete with 
other States. So what is in your budget that is going to put Floridians 
to work? You come and say: I want another lane on I-4. Well, anybody 
who lives in Orlando or visits Orlando knows another lane will not help 
us. We have eight lanes.
  I just returned Monday from Salt Lake City, Utah, where we lost the 
money. A few years ago, money for Orlando went to Salt Lake City, Utah, 
and they run trains every day, move 40,000 people a day by rail. That's 
Salt Lake City, Utah. And so the money that we have appropriated this 
Friday will go to some other State. It will go to New York or 
California or Salt Lake City, Utah, or some other place. We are going 
to have rail in this country.
  What happens when failure is not an option? We must make sure that we 
work together to put Floridians to work.

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