CQ TODAY ONLINE NEWS
Feb. 27, 2012 – 9:53 p.m.
Groups Push House on Highway Bill
By Nathan Hurst, CQ Staff
Transportation interest groups began weighing in Monday on House Speaker
Their message: Don’t cut funding levels too much — or risk losing support.
“The bill advances the idea that when it comes to infrastructure, we have to live within our means” of the Highway Trust Fund, said Steve Heminger, executive director of the Bay Area Metro Transportation Commission, and a member of the now-defunct National Surface Transportation Policy and Revenue Study Commission tasked by Congress to explore transportation funding avenues. “That’s never been the American way when it comes to transportation investments.”
Transportation officials from around the nation are gathering in Washington this week to plot their strategy for lobbying on a reauthorization of highway, rail and transit programs. Transportation Secretary
“We don’t know what the House is going to do,” LaHood told the officials. “They need a little direction from you. Give them a little direction. Don’t be bashful. Don’t be afraid. This is too important.”
Bowing to opposition from different segments of their caucus, House Republican leaders decided last week to scale back their five-year surface transportation bill (
But so far, the House bill is not scheduled for any floor action this week, and aides have yet to indicate when a revised version might be ready. The new bill is expected to run for 18 to 30 months — closer to the two-year, $109 billion Senate bill (
LaHood told the transportation officials that the Obama administration likes the bipartisan Senate measure.
“Take politics out of transportation,” said LaHood, a former Republican House member. “Politics has never been involved in transportation.”
Senators are trying to negotiate an agreement on amendments, which would clear the way for debate on their highway bill to advance this week.
“I was glad to see House Republican leaders move away from the extreme proposal they were considering last month,” said Senate Majority Leader
But a senior House GOP aide said last week that the bill Boehner, an Ohio Republican, is reassembling will continue to link transportation spending to an expansion of domestic oil and gas production. That plan, which would open the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and areas off the California and Florida coasts to drilling, guarantees overwhelming opposition from Democrats.
A senior Republican aide also said last week that the revised bill may set funding levels below current authorized levels.
Groups Push House on Highway Bill
That might placate deficit hawks in the caucus who were concerned about the bill’s price tag, but it would be a retreat from an earlier commitment to fund highway and transit programs at current levels. That is likely to concern states and municipalities.
Boehner’s decision to abandon a proposal to unlink transit programs from the Highway Trust Fund will probably get a friendlier reception from state and municipal transportation officials. Republican members from districts near such big cities as New York and Chicago balked at the proposal to fund a new Alternative Transportation Account with $40 billion in seed money and then leave future funding at the mercy of appropriators.
“To hollow out the transit program in a transportation bill makes absolutely no sense in America today,” LaHood told the state transportation officials group, crediting the group with forcing House GOP leaders to back down from the plan.
If Congress does not clear a comprehensive surface transportation bill by the end of the month, another extension would be needed to keep funds flowing to states.
Niels Lesniewski contributed to this story.