Date: 2011-07-14
Speaker: JACKSON LEE (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

I thank the chairman. and I really do want to thank our appropriators. This is a tough. tough business. I certainly want to thank the ranking member whom Ive had the privilege of working with and thank the chairman as well. because this is a tough dilemma that we are facing. I think I come with a unique perspective. I live in hurricane and flood country. Houston is the site and was the recipient of hundreds of thousands of Katrina survivors coming in from New Orleans. We have faced our own ups and downs. most recently with Hurricane Ike. and I walked the beach with both former President Clinton and former President Bush when we went down to Galveston and looked at the amazing devastation. So many of us were concerned about the tragedy in Joplin. Missouri. and other places. and then the constant flooding. I have talked to Members of Congress where there is flooding going on in their district as we speak. But here is the dilemma that we have and the reason that I rise to raise the question of the recapturing of already designated funds and to realize that these are not funds that were just sitting in a pile unused. These funds are not only already designatedI would like to say appropriatedhighspeed rail dollars but. as well. these funds will generate thousands of jobs. As I read the amounts of moneys that were designated. $450 million were going to be utilized for necessary repairs in New Jersey. That means that my friends on the floor of the House have made a sacrifice. and I appreciate that. but highspeed rail is a valuable and necessary investment in Americas future. I truly believe that there could have been a compromise. where resources could have been used for the flooding problems in the area that my colleagues have spoken about. the needy areas. and still leave an amount that would have been shared for highspeed rail. Lets create jobs together. That is the restoration of those flood areas. and I would almost ask the question without knowing as a member of the authorizing committee for Homeland Security. what other opportunities might have been in place to be able to utilize those dollars for the disaster that has occurred. But I will tell you. it is no doubt as you go across Europe and see the value of highspeed rail. new technology. that America is far behind with its highspeed rail investment. the new technology. the new science. the new kinds of cars that are being produced that will create jobs. in essence putting the cars together. manufacturing the cars but then the assembling of the cars now being placed in cities around America. Those are real jobs. longterm jobs. The decision that the administration made was a thoughtful decision. Let me thank Secretary LaHood for understanding the value of highspeed rail. and I would suggest that the proposal that we have for Texas does impact rural Texas. It is a proposal for highspeed rail from Houston to Dallas. going through our rural communities. creating the opportunities for jobs but creating the opportunities for investment in the purchase of land and the growth of business. All of that has an impact in creating jobs. Thats what we are all here for. We are here to be the rainy day umbrella for Americans who are in trouble. and as well were here to create jobs. which Americans are so desperately in need of. So I am disappointed that we didnt find the happy balance. and I believe that we could. that we couldnt measure the amount of resources that might have been able to be utilized for our friends that have just experienced a disaster and not completely gut monies that are already designated. appropriated. Its almost as if we came in and said theres a pile of cash. and Im not going to bother to identify what its supposed to be used for. I would hope that there would be a method of reconsideration. These are fair gentlemen on the floor of the House. Ive worked with all of my colleagues here. And I would just raise the question of why would we. in essence. zero out highspeed rail. not only for our urban centers but for our midwestern areas that are desperately in need of jobs. and for the southern areas that now are looking to the future for highspeed rail to create jobs and to create the quality. excellent. superior mobility system that Americans deservenot the country of America. but the people of America deserve. I would argue vigorously for a reconsideration of the funding and the restructuring of the funding to ensure that we have highspeed rail. create jobs. and deal with our friends who are in need. Mr. Chair. I rise today in support of funding for high speed rail. and the importance of ensuring that money designated for high speed rail by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act is utilized to build high speed railways. I must express my concerns about the offset in the amendment offered by the gentleman from New Jersey. There is no doubt that recent flooding in the Midwest has devastated communities and greatly impacted the regions economy. The Army Corps of Engineers must have the resources to address the damage wrought by the flooding of the Mississippi and Missouri Rivers. but I urge my colleagues to consider the source of this funding. The funding allocated for high speed rail in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act will do more than update our Nations transportation system. high speed rail creates jobs. increases tourism and is environmentally sustainable. The Department of Transportation recently awarded $15 million for a high speed rail project in Texas. The funding was awarded for engineering and environmental work to develop a highspeed rail corridor linking Dallas and Houston. where I represent the 18th Congressional District. The demand for high speed rail in the state of Texas is significant. The second most populous state in the Nation. Texas population is forecasted to grow by an additional 9.4 million people by 2035. a 38.9 percent increase over projected 2010 levels. Additionally. the population growth is not going to be spread evenly across the state. According to the Texas State Data Center. 92 percent of the 20102035 population growth will occur in the existing metropolitan counties. High speed rail is an investment in the future of the state. Receiving this funding from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act was a tremendous opportunity for Houston. and the entire state of Texas. The award will allow our state to make critical investments in infrastructure that will increase mobility and allow for better commercial and private growth of our cities. A long time supporter of high speed rail. I supported the Safe Highways and Infrastructure Preservation Act. and secured $150 million dollars for the metro solutions light rail project because highspeed rail projects and other transportation investments represent the potential to create hundreds of jobs. enhanced mobility. and future economic development for Texas. and the entire Nation. I commend the Chairman for recognizing the need for emergency funding in flood stricken areas. However. there are plenty of places from which my colleagues can offset funding. I cannot support an amendment that offsets funding from critical infrastructure projects that create jobs. I urge my colleagues in the Majority to explain why they would rather take funding from projects that create middle class jobs than raise taxes for billionaires. We must repair the damage done by flooding. but we must also invest in the future of America. Other nations around the world have shown us that the future is high speed rail. It is our responsibility to make critical investments in infrastructure projects. like high speed rail. I urge my colleagues to think about the consequences of continuing to provide tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans at the expense of middle class jobs and improvements to our Nations infrastructure. Offsetting funding for high speed rail for emergency disaster relief is not a responsible course of action. My Republican colleagues constantly talk about creating jobs. yet time and time again. they turn away from opportunities to do so. The time for rhetoric has passed. what the country needs. what our constituents need is action. Offsetting funding for high speed rail. slashing funds that will create jobs is the wrong action. and I urge my colleagues to reconsider. I yield back the balance of my time.