Like so many of you, when I heard that the President had proposed to take away this money, which was written into law last year, I was appalled.  This project is vital to the hard working people and the economic future of south Arkansas. 

On Monday, I, along with Congressman Max Sandlin who represents Texarkana, Texas, called on the Administration to reverse their recommendation and pledged to do all I could to save this money.  I was pleased that the other members of the Arkansas Congressional Delegation as well as Governor Huckabee also expressed their strong opposition to this proposal.

This week, I sent a letter to the White House demanding answers, and I have had two positive conversations with Karl Rove, the President’s senior adviser, in an effort to resolve this matter.   I reiterated to the President that, in fact, in 1991, I-49 had been named by Congress as the number one high priority corridor in America.  And just as I joined him as one of only 28 Democrats to support his tax cut package, I asked him to join me in putting progress before partisanship on this issue.  I was pleased to learn from Rove on Tuesday that he was ‘upbeat and optimistic’ that the I-49 funding would be secure.

While none of the money can be taken away without Congress’ approval, I am hopeful that the White House will, indeed, reverse its recommendation before Congress takes the President’s request into consideration.  I applaud the other members of the delegation and the governor for their efforts on this matter, and I will continue to work with them and the Administration to see that the I-49 project can move forward as scheduled for the benefit of south Arkansas, its economic growth, and the lives of its people.