It appears Oklahoma’s senators are suggesting different grips when it comes to highway funding.
On Nov. 16, Republican Jim Inhofe announced that he wanted to bypass a series of short-term funding extensions of SAFETEA-LU. However, Inhofe’s colleague, Republican Tom Coburn, believes transportation spending needs to be put on a tighter leash.
“It is all about choices,” said Coburn. “We can either run the country into the ground financially, or we can start doing what we get paid for.”
Coburn agreed that the approach would make it more difficult for those at the DOT level to plan projects, and even admitted that it would make things cost a little more. However, he firmly believes that the time is now to establish fiscal discipline.
Inhofe believes Coburn’s motivation is clear.
“I really believe that most of the people who are objecting to the way we are doing this really do not care about road programs anyway,” he said. “They are assuming that we go continuously just on continuing resolutions. Well, that is not our intent.”
Coburn actually voted to approve SAFETEA-LU during his first year as an Oklahoma senator. He said the reason was because he had made a commitment, and because his state needed the highway projects.