opportunity. my comments will be brief. obviously because many of them will not be heard with so many people having left. but i -- >> we're listening. the american people are listening. >> think they are. i think if the american people could speak here today they would say that they want a transportation bill that adds value. and i think that when -- they understand that value means quicker, more efficient. i'm a small business owner. a business my grandfather started 60 years ago. and i understand that we have to do things differently perhaps than he did to create value. you know, when i-35 collapsed in minnesota, the bridge was rebuilt in 437 days. i think the american people would recognize that that is value. whereas the average d.o.t. project is somewhere around 14

years. they would say there's very little value there. so i think the transportation bill, whatever we work with and produce, i think it must first have value and then secondly i think the american people have the expectation that it be paid for. that we in this financial state that we find ourselves in and with calamity occurring across the ocean because of the sins of wasteful spending, i think that they believe that that would add additional value and i think that with a transportation bill that has value in it, that is paid for, where we no longer live our lives and spend on credit, i think that that would produce for the american people what they want most, and that is certainty. certainty. and so i look forward to working with the other conferees and i thank you for the time and i yield back. >> thank you so much.

representative lankford. >> thank you. senator boxer, representative mika, thank you for your work and your leadership. everyone in this room is committed to infrastructure. not everyone in this room is committed to oklahoma. just like i'm not committed to your state, the same way you're committed to mine. there is something unique when you live in a state instead of just visit there that makes you passionate about that pothole, about that bridge, about that intersection that is unique to that. that is why it's essential that we work to take the control out of this room and put it in each of our states. that in the days to come people that live closest to that bad bridge make the decision about that bad bridge rather than someone who has never even visited our state. and the people back in my town

fill up gas today as high as it is, they see the sticker and they know 18.4 cents of that gallon of gas is going to help pay for roads. i just think they should know it actually paid for a road. it actually helped them in their driving and their transportation and the movement of product around them. it's a simple request. that we honor every gallon of gas that every american purchases to make sure that goes back to where they think it actually goes back to. and that we stream line and make this process as efficient as possible. on may the 26th of 2002, there was a tragic accident in webers fall, oklahoma where a barge hit a bridge and took out a major highway. 64 days later that bridge was opened. because as a federal government they said that's a priority

project we're going make sure it's streamlined and all of the decisions were made and people put attention to it and focus to it in a streamline process was accomplished. it wasn't environmental disaster. because we did it faster. it was just cheaper, we got the road opened and we have a good bridge there again. stream lining, efficiency, local control and decision-making and a couple of things that would revolutionize this process for us. no earmarks and no tax increases. simple process that i think we can agree to and look at the fiscal reality that we deal with as well as the infrastructure reality we deal with and hand this control back to the people that drive those roads the most. with that i yield back. >> congressman, i'm moved in what you said. and in response to what you side i'll put in the record i ask unanimous consent a study that shows that in the last i would say four years states have been

getting actually back more than they've put into the trust fund. various reasons for that but i'll share that with you so you can feel good about that. i don't think there's any stocks that. so we'll do that. and then we have representative ribba. >> thank you, madam chairman and thank you vice chair mika. i want to associate myself with the comments with my friends from florida and from oklahoma. the fact of the matter is that when the federal government decides to build something quickly they can do it. they choose the. that's a choice that's being made. those choices have proven that we do not have to have the environment suffer because we want to get work done. and it's evidence straight and forward and right before our face. for some reason the whole idea that a project must take 14 or 15 years to get done, the american people wonder what's

wrong with this process, they wonder what's wrong with their congress and their government and they wonder why it doesn't work because we have examples where it can work. so i really do appreciate two comments that were made, the two examples that were made. we can have both. we can have a streamlined approach, we can have low cost construction and we can do it correctly without viscerating the environment. we should be working towards that end. madam chairman i hope we can do that together. i look forward networking on this committee. i look forward to being here. thank you. >> now we've actually come to our final speaker, and that is, unless others come back, and it's representative krobak. >> it's nice to hear a majority in this room truly want to put

america first and we need to link arms and get a bill through. i look forward network my colleagues both house to and the senate on this crucial legislation. maintaining the 21st century infrastructure is critically important to our nation's economic competitiveness. however, given our current budget environment, we need to ensure that this bill makes more efficient use of taxpayer dollars without adding to the debt. this is the new reality. as a member of both the committee of transportation infrastructure and on committee of science and technology i've had an opportunity to witness how removing unnecessary red tape and bureaucracy can improve our nation's infrastructure and how prudent investments and research can yield game changing innovations to make our nation's roads and bridges safer and more durable. i look forward network with charman mika and chairman hall

and all of those in the senate to update our transportation systems and from vied the world's best infrastructure at a strong value to taxpayer and ensure transportation research projects deal long term benefits. i would like to thank chairman hall for his leadership on the research and development provisions and i would also like to thank chairman mika and speaker boehner for an opportunity to be a conferree on this bill. thank you, madam chairman. >> the house just start ad vote. what we'll do is chairman mika will make a one minute close and i'll make a one minute close and then we'll go on our way. i have enjoyed this so much listening to you all. i would like to give you a minute's worth of feedback. go ahead, chairman mika. >> first of all, i thank everyone particularly some of the members who stayed and particularly the last members

who spoke. i'm very pleased that everyone has had taunt to participate. and that we have had a beginning, open conference here. everyone has contributed and everyone has a little bit of different ideas and i think that the important thing is that we blend them, we maintain our principles, and that everyone continue to be a part of trying to get this concluded. finally, let me just say thank to you the staff. i was a senate staffer for five years here and even worked also for a member of congress before that, and i know their hard work and dedication helped bring us together today. so i appreciate you all taking the charge and the lead working with members and i think we can accomplish something very successful for the american people. so with that i look forward to

working with senator boxer in a joint effort to get this done. >> well, colleagues, 60 seconds. thank you so much each and every one of you. for those that left i say please, staffers relay my thanks. what i heard here today, i heard no lines in the sand and i heard a lot of passion on certain issues. but we didn't hear, you know, the rhetoric. we just heard you speak from the heart about what is most important. what i want to say to you is that, you know, i'm going to do everything to improve the senate bill. we will work with you. but i want to you know it does stream line dramatically, senator inhofe would never agree to a bill that didn't stream line. we did. i want does reform dramatically. it bans earmarks and fully paid for. these are important things. on the issues that we've all expressed our views on one side or the other, listen we're going to work together until we get

this done. we will be back here if necessary, maybe we can do this out of the room here but we may be able to agree and get signatures on a conference report. but if necessary, we will be back here in 20 some days. that's the time frame. and i'm excited about work with all of you. i respect all of you. and i think we'll get it done and i'm just so thrilled that you all came and spoke today. thank you very much. we stand adjourned.

transportation committee spent nearly two hours working on the surface transportation bill. if you missed this you can see it later in our program schedule and our video library at c-span.org and if you want to know who is who on the transportation committee in the

house and senate there's a c-span congressional directory, your complete guide the 112th congress. you'll find each member of the house and senate all their contact information, their committee assignment, district maps and more. a lot more about cabinet members, supreme court justice nangs's governors. it's 12.95 plus shipping and handling. [ knocking ] >> this week live from england the pageant and ceremony of the opening of parliament. parliament was usually held at the end. year. it's now been moved to the spring. and wednesday queen elizabeth will formally outline the government's priorities for the upcoming year. live coverage starts at 5:30 a.m. eastern on c-span 2.

saturdays this month c-span radio is airing more of the nixon tapes from the collection of secretly recorded phone conversations from 1971 to 1973. this saturday at 6:00 p.m. eastern hear conversations with deputy national security advisor alexander hague. >> very significant this "new york times" expose of the most highly classified documents of the war. >> that i see. i didn't read the story. you mean that was leaked out of the pentagon? >> a whole study that was done for macnamara and carried on by the peaceniks over there. this is a devastating security breach. >> in washington, d.c. listen at 90.1 fm on xm channel 119 and c-span radio.org.

new jersey governor chris christie next talking about cutting government spending in his state and how successful domestic leadership can have a positive impact abroad. he spoke friday at the cato institute dinner. this is 40 minutes. [ applause ] >> thank you for that introduction. doing the best i can with him on his diet. [ laughter ] he said by next year's dinner he'll look as damn good as i do. [ laughter ] [ applause ] pleasure to be here tonight. celebrate the work of the cato institute and of course tonight's honoree, and i'll tell you, you know, people ask me why did you decide to accept this invitation on a friday night to leave all that's exciting in new jersey on a friday night.

[ laughter ] come down here to this sleepy little hamlet, speak before a small group of committed conservatives. and it's really simple. it's because the milton freeman award is being granted tonight and see those of us in new jersey, we firmly believe and we're right about this, that everything in america has a connection to new jersey. [ applause ] [ laughter ] and so for all of you devotes of milton freeman here tonight in your tuxedos and beautiful gowns to honor milton freeman, remember that milton freeman is an alumnus of rutgers the state university of new jersey. [ applause ]

he went to some other places too but i don't think there's any question that his genius was truly developed and nurtured on the banks of the ruritan river in new brunswick, new jersey at rutgers university. so we're coming together tonight at the close of a week that will always have a place in our country's history moving forward. may 1st will always be remembered a day that america finally caught and finally killed osama bin laden. [ applause ] i hope that in the future it will be always become a moment where we come together as a country, thankful for the courage of s.e.a.l. team six and the continued sacrifice of our soldiers. [ applause ]

it's a day i think to strengthen our resolve, a day to reaffirm our commitment combatting terrorism. i spent seven years of my life committed to that cause. i was the first united states attorney in new jersey in the post-september 11th era. in fact i was informed by the president to be nominated as u.s. attorney for new jersey on. september 10th, 2001. the job i accepted that day became different the next day when 900 new jerseyians were murdered in the world trade center. more citizens than any other state other than the state of new york. and in the intervening time broke up two major terror plots

post-september 11th. when i say we must keep our resolve committed we must keep it committed to make sure we pay honor to those families and loved ones who gave their lives on september 11th. so i hope that this day of may 1st will help us to continue to remember that sometimes justice is slow but we should always be resolved to making sure that justice is certain and for osama bin laden may 1st a slow but certain justice for those citizens who were killed on that day happened. now, the image of the united states around the world doesn't begin and end with a day like that those. our image is directly tied to what we say. to what we do. and to who we are each and every day. all 365 of them. both at home and abroad.

we no longer have the luxury of believing that domestic matters have no consequences beyond our borders. if anything what we are at home primarily defines our role and our significance in the world. i think we can agree our image around the world is not what it was, it's not what it can be and certainly not what it needs to be. rising living standards fur our citizens, when our political system cannot come together in agreement on the difficult but necessary steps to rein in entitlement spending. when we willingly let ourselves be distracted by issues that are nothing more than political side

shows and special interest went out over the collective national interest. i remember barack obama talk act the lack of hope and optimism around the country in 2008. and the environment i found myself in 2009 was not significantly different, although he and i define the solutions to that problem in entirely different ways. when i figs took office in january 2010 in new jersey, optimism was a hard thing to find and for very good reason. in the eight years before i came governor, our study raised taxes and fees at the state level 115 times in eight years. in case you're eating something, let me repeat that. taxes and fees, 115 times increased in eight years. in the decade before i became governor from 2000 to 2009, new

jersey had zero private sector job growth. literally zero. it was a zero job growth decade in new jersey. in the years before i became governor, $70 billion in wealth left new jersey in four years. four years before i became governor, not diminished wealth, departed wealth. $70 billion in departed wealth. our unemployment rate was over 10%. 155,000 private sector jobs lost in the four years of my predecessor. jon corzine. you always wonder when you read a speech, what will be the laugh line. to my staff, mark that down. that was it.

the highest tax burden in the country with the worst climate for small business and a bloated state government with the highest number of government workers per square mile in the country. you can laugh unless you live there. so when i came to office in those last few weeks of january of 2010, you would think that given the hand i was already dealt, the news couldn't get worse. and you would be wrong. my chief of staff and state treasurer came into my office and said if we cannot cut $2.2 billion in spending in the next five weeks, new jersey would not be able to meet payroll for the second pay period in march. imagine that. 60% of the fiscal year was already gone. 60% of the money was already out the door. we had a $29 billion budget

where we had to find $2.2 billion, not cuts to projected growth or any of that. but money -- when people say he has no self-control. you can say no, no, i saw him. he does. [ applause ] >> we had to fine $2.2 billion in cuts for money that had already been approapriateapprop. essentially had to impound the money back from the departments who it had already been appropriated to. and all of this, not so we could meet some lofty goal of cutting taxes. this was just so we could meet payroll for the second pay period in march in what is the second wealthiest state per capita in america. any greater example of what happens to an economy when a

state government over taxes, overspends, overborrows, and overregulates. visit new jersey in january of 2010. we can come to agreement on these cuts. if you think i chose the former, then it's time for you to leave. you're not smart enough to be here at the bidinner. so we went with the second choice. we literally sat in a room over the course of three weeks and went over all 24 can 00 line items in the new jersey state budget that i inherited.

the result was finding and cutting $2.2 billion. so what we did -- the great thing about operating by executive order was at first i didn't have to tell anybody. sign all these things and made up the executive order and i signed the executive order and i asked for a speech before the joint session of the legislature there's a tradition apparently that governors would give copies of their speech before they arrived at the chamber for members of the legislature to review it and no when to either on the republican side appropriately clap or the democratic side, look grim and sit on your hands. i decided not to give them that option and broke with tradition. would not give them the text beforehand. so it was a rather tense room i walked into in that first speech that i was giving before the joint session.

it was about a 40-minute speech. but the good news for you is, i can break it down now 2 1/2 years later to 30 seconds. i came into office and you handed me an enormous fiscal problem and a budget that was $2.2 billion out of balance in the middle of the year. you've done nothing to help fix the problem. so i found $2.2 billion in cuts, signed an executive order, they're now in effect, i fixed your problem, you can thank me later, have a good day.

democratic legislators began calling me names. julius caesar, napoleon bonaparte, all those great leaders of the past i admire so much. and the next day i was walk into the state house at the same time as the democratic senate president. now, the senate president in new jersey is a great guy. i like him, he's a good friend. his name is steve sweeney. he's from the southern part of our state and he's the president of the iron workers local union in new jersey. ehe's a big guy like me. we came walking in together. i told him, steve, i said i read all this stuff you said about me in the newspaper, julius caesar, napoleon bonaparte. you guys have turned me around. i'm going to go upstairs, vacate the executive order and send this problem down the hall and

let you guys fix it. now, what i'll tell you now is all you need to know about politics in new jersey. steve wrote to me and said hey, hey, governor, don't overreact. you're new at this, you didn't do so bad. my point in telling you this story is with the first real substantial problem that i faced in office, how you con fronted that problem sets the tone for your administration. i made clear from the first day that decades of fiscal irresponsibility were no longer going to be tolerated. that this was the administration that was going to put an end to practices that have become accepted practice in new jersey. as i said from my days on the campaign trail in 2009, if you elect me, i'll