Federal Funding
Basics
Rep. Scott Garrett Wants to Let Dead-Broke States Go It Alone on Transpo
In order to “address our insolvent transportation program and end the taxpayer bailouts of the Highway Trust Fund,” Rep. Scott Garrett (R-NJ) has introduced a bill to let states “opt out” of the federal transportation program altogether.
April 1, 2013
Sen. Patty Murray Increases Transportation Investment in 2014 Budget
So, right now you're thinking, "God save me, not another post about the budget!"
March 15, 2013
Lawmakers Fret About Impact of Budget Cuts on Transit
“In 2014, federal investment in surface transportation -- which is currently about $50 billion per year -- will drop to $6 billion or $7 billion. In one year.”
March 14, 2013
Senate Unlikely to Challenge House Cuts to MAP-21 Budget
If you were hoping the Senate would swoop in and save the day after the House voted to cut $785 million from the transportation budget, you might be disappointed. Politico's Burgess Everett reports that Senate Appropriations Chair Barbara Mikulski (D-MD) isn't planning to present an alternative transportation budget proposal. Mikulski is considering rolling several appropriations bills into a "hybrid" continuing resolution bill, but transportation isn't one of them.
March 8, 2013
Congress Comes to the Bike Summit (and the Bike Summit Goes to Congress)
Tuesday morning, Rep. Earl Blumenauer took his usual place behind the podium at the National Bike Summit. (He never misses a Bike Summit.)
March 7, 2013
Bike Summit: With a Seat at the Table, Cyclists Need to Master the Etiquette
When you talk to policy-makers, do you complain about how bicyclists lost out in the last transportation reauthorization and demand that cycling get its “fair share” of funding? Do you tell them that more and more people are riding bikes, and maybe they ought to try it too?
March 6, 2013
Shuster Shows His Thoughtful Side, Boxer Heaps Praise at AASHTO Conference
In a sense, there’s not much to say about the joint appearance at the AASHTO conference yesterday of House Transportation Committee Chair Bill Shuster and Senate EPW Chair Barbara Boxer. They thanked AASHTO for all its help getting MAP-21 passed. They addressed the big question of how to raise revenues without actually making any proposals. They agreed that infrastructure should be a non-partisan issue. None of these are breaking news.
March 1, 2013
Sequester Would Cut New Starts By $100M, Could Trigger FTA Furloughs
The consequences of the near-certain sequester for aviation have been well publicized by Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood's recent media blitz, but less well-known are the effects for surface transportation.
February 28, 2013
Sequestration Week: Will Congress Find a Solution By Friday? Does It Matter?
Welcome to Sequestration Week. Congress has until Friday to strike a deal that would avoid a set of dreaded automatic budget cuts.
February 25, 2013
Shuster Pre-empts Devolutionists With Defense of Federal Role
New House Transportation Committee Chair Bill Shuster (R-PA) clearly knows he's got some devolutionist conservatives in his caucus (and on his committee). While many Republicans would like to see the federal government get out of the business of infrastructure and just let the states raise and spend their own money, Shuster has always been clear that he is in favor of a strong federal role.
February 8, 2013