i thank my friend, ed witkin, for being here today. we met with officials in anchorage, alaska. their response to president obama's call to action has been overwhelming. at every stop, workers are shouting, "pass the bill; pass the bill now." businessmen and women tell us we owe job creators and our future the safest, fastest, most efficient ways to move people and products. moreover, this is no partisan sentiment. in one poll conducted earlier this year, two out of three voters and 59% of tea party supporters said making improvements in transportation is extremely important. unlikely allies like the chamber of commerce, tom donohue, and afl-cio president rich trumka are supporting investments. bipartisan. i talked to about of them about it at great length. many governors also are rejecting the premise that jobs on transportation projects should be proxies in congress' political warfare. after -- at the sherman bridge, an indiana governor, a republican, and a democrat worked together and are working together to repair and reopen that bridge. now, i mentioned my service with repu