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

On Monday, I, along with Congressman Max Sandlin from 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 the President’s 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 issue.   I reiterated to the President the importance of this project for south Arkansas and that, in fact, in 1990, it had been named the number one high priority corridor in America.  I was pleased to learn during a conversation with 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 their 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 the Administration and my congressional colleagues to see that the I-49 project can continue as scheduled.  My concern is not how we got this money or who gets credit for saving it; my concern is for south Arkansas, its economic growth, and the lives of its people.