House passes highway spending bill

[54anickel]

Wasn't there some nasty stuff buried in this bill? I seem to remember something like that, whether it was Patriot Act expansion or tort reform....something about the highway bill beyond pork is striking a bell.

http://www.boston.com/dailynews/093/wash/House_passes_highway_spending_:.shtml

WASHINGTON (AP) The House on Friday gave emphatic support to a $275 billion highway and transit bill, voting for the prospects of new roads and jobs despite an administration warning that the bill was too expensive and would result in a presidential veto.

The 357-65 vote sends the long-delayed six-year spending bill to a House-Senate conference and an election-year showdown with the White House over federal spending, jobs and the deficit.

''We've done everything we could possibly do,'' said House Transportation Committee Chairman Don Young, R-Alaska, who backed the $275 billion package but contended that it fell $100 billion short of what the nation's crumbling infrastructure needed.

The legislation, a target of fiscal hawks because it directs some $11 billion to members for special projects in their districts, would provide $217.4 billion for highways, $51.5 billion for mass transit and about $6 billion for safety and research programs in the 2004-2009 period.

more...

[Ripley]

1. Hmmmm, 100$ billion short of what the nation's

crumbling infrastructure needed says the repuke who has already gladly given at least that much to Iraq for their infrastructure repair.

I guess they won't be happy until we are just another 3rd world country that can be more easily exploited by simply raising taxes. In parts of the deep south they're already paying 12% tax on food. Wonder when it'll hit 15%?

[mobuto]

2. $217.4 billion on highways?

How much again do we spend on Amtrak?

[jburton]

3. Amtrak doesn't have a PAC

Highways & auto interests do...

[wuushew]

4. trends in infrastructure spending

http://www.cbo.gov/showdoc.cfm?index=1256&sequence=0&from=0#anchor