RAILROAD TO NOWHERE -- (House of Representatives - April 27, 2006)
(Mr. PITTS asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
Mr. PITTS. Mr. Speaker, the President this week threatened to veto the emergency supplemental spending bill currently under consideration in the Senate, and rightfully so.
Members of the other body have been busy adding billions of dollars in non-emergency pork to this emergency spending bill, and the price tag is simply unjustifiable.
One particularly egregious earmark seeks $700 million in Federal funds to move a railroad track that has just been repaired at the cost of $250 million. Supporters of the project say the rail line needs to be moved because it is vulnerable to hurricane damage. Yet the proposed new location is just a short distance inland and was greatly damaged by Katrina last year.
The real reason supporters want this newly repaired rail line moved is to make room for a casino gambling development along the gulf coast.
Mr. Speaker, relocating a newly updated rail line to an equally vulnerable area simply to make room for casino gambling is not an emergency. The taxpayer should not have to pick up the tab for this railroad to nowhere.
I urge the President to stand by his veto threat unless pork like this is removed from the bill.
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