House of Representatives
Basics
Conservative Motion to Cut Transportation Spending Fails (and Fails Hard)
The House has just defeated, in a 323 to 82 whopper, a motion to instruct members of the transportation bill conference committee to slash spending by nearly 30 percent in order to stay within the projected limits of the Highway Trust Fund.
June 8, 2012
Conference Devolves Into Talk of Extensions
If you were still hoping a real bill could come out of the transportation conference, here’s a bitter pill: House Speaker John Boehner is now talking about a six-month extension of the current law.
June 7, 2012
House GOP Wastes Time With Bogus Gas Tax Debate
If you've been following the ongoing transportation bill saga, then you know there's a fair amount of gamesmanship going on in Congress right now -- lots of political posturing, little progress on substantive policy. Here's a great new example of what the House GOP has been up to instead of passing a transportation bill:
June 7, 2012
Pelosi Challenges Boehner to Cancel Recess, Pound Out a Transpo Bill
All play and no work makes Jack an unemployed construction worker.
June 6, 2012
House Appropriators Leave TIGER, HSR Out of Next Year’s Budget
It's always confusing when, in the middle of endless bicameral hand-wringing about transportation spending, the House Appropriations Committee puts out a budget for transportation without much ado.
June 6, 2012
Boxer to Speak to Reporters, Address Cloud Over Conference Committee
Sen. Barbara Boxer is due to speak to reporters in about an hour about the goings-on in the conference committee. The mood has turned dark in the past few days, but she’s kept a positive attitude, saying, “It’s been wonderful.”
June 5, 2012
Clues Hint at Souring Negotiations in Transpo Bill Conference
Politico Pro Transportation put out a news blast today that threw some light into the inky shadows of the conference committee process, and what we saw there doesn't look too pretty. Apparently Sen. Barbara Boxer has reason to believe negotiations aren't going so well, "after a House GOP conferee criticized her for 'stonewalling' the lower chamber":
May 31, 2012
Tea Party Republicans Take Aim at Bike-Ped Funding in Conference
Although Senate Republicans had hoped the carefully crafted compromise over the Transportation Enhancements program would stand, some House members are stating their insistence that the program be stripped out entirely in conference.
May 23, 2012
House Members Try to Work Their Will in Conference
The 47 members of the transportation bill conference committee have a lot on their plates: The Senate's MAP-21 bill includes many provisions Republicans don't like, the House slapped controversial "poison pills" onto its non-bill, and chair Barbara Boxer wants this all wrapped up in a few weeks.
May 21, 2012