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Toxic Republicans
Feb 3 (Reuters) - Republican-sponsored transportation legislation that would radically change funding for public transit advanced in the U.S. House of Representatives on Friday, leaving Democrats, city leaders and transit groups concerned that commuter systems could be imperiled.
The plan, approved by the U.S. House Ways and Means Committee, would make a one-time $40 billion deposit into the trust fund for mass transit and end its traditional source of revenue from gasoline taxes, which also support a trust fund for highway construction.
"It's really a shot in the heart to metropolitan areas," said Representative Charles Rangel, a Democrat from New York who attempted to remove the measure during a Ways and Means Committee meeting on Friday.
The last comprehensive transportation spending legislation expired more than two years ago, and the U.S. government has since doled out money to states through piecemeal measures. The current temporary funding expires March 31. ................(more)
The complete piece is at: http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/02/03/usa-infrastructure-transit-idUSL2E8D3EHE20120203