Hearing on the President’s Proposed FHWA Budget for FY 2012

Link to Opening Statement In my 20 plus years of service in Congress, this is the most unusual budget request for the Federal Highway Administration I have reviewed. What is unusual is not the amount requested, although significant, nor is it that it overstates the need; some may argue it is not enough. What is unusual is that it ignores the fact that there is no money to fund it. Because the Highway Trust Fund (HTF) is all but insolvent, we cannot proceed with a bill unless we have a serious discussion about where the money is coming from. Unfortunately, the President's budget chooses to ignore that.