Unanimous Consent Request -- H. R. 6532
Floor Speech
UNANIMOUS-CONSENT REQUEST--H.R. 6532 -- (Senate - September 08, 2008)
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Mrs. MURRAY. Would the majority leader yield for a question? I would say to the majority leader, since I am chairman of transportation appropriations, I have been warning of this to come for some time. It is my understanding that the amendment you are asking unanimous consent for takes $8 billion out of the general fund and puts it back in the trust fund, which is exactly what happened back in 1998, in reverse.
Taxpayers pay their gas tax into the trust fund, expect it to go for transportation projects. In 1998, we took $8 billion of that money that they expected to go into transportation funding and put it in the general fund.
What you are asking to do tonight is simply to take that $8 billion back and put it exactly where taxpayers expected it to go originally, which was to transportation funds; is that not correct?
Mr. REID. The Senator from Washington is exactly correct.
Mrs. MURRAY. I did not talk to the Secretary of Transportation. I did see their press release that they now want this money to come out. It is my understanding that if we do not take this action, as the House has done, that beginning this Thursday, and shortly thereafter, States will not get their transportation dollars and will therefore have to begin to lay off workers at construction projects and essentially halt many of the construction projects in the country, correct?
Mr. REID. When I talked to her, I believe last Friday, she indicated to me that she was going to have to make those difficult decisions. Then I also read her press release later, after she had been able, I guess, to put more numbers in the paper, and that is what I read, which is an elaboration of what she told me.
Mrs. MURRAY. Mr. President, I share the concern of the majority leader.
I am deeply concerned that several members of the Republican Party have said no to this. At a time when our economy is in real trouble, when construction projects are not only providing critical dollars but completing important transportation work across the country, that we would allow those projects to be halted and workers to be laid off, adding to the economic woes of the country at this time, is simply not a smart move. I hope we see that decision reconsidered on the other side in the next 24 hours.
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