House of Representatives
Philly, Scranton and Rochester Hearings Postponed
As the House returns for an unusual Friday session to finish (one hopes) debating and voting on HR 1, the continuing budget resolution for FY2011, with its 583 amendments, the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee is breaking dates all over the country.
February 18, 2011
House GOP to Senate: Pass Our Budget or Shut Down the Government
House Speaker John Boehner won’t take no for an answer. As the House struggles to consider and vote on nearly 600 amendments to the FY2011 budget – in a process the GOP is heralding as unprecedented democracy and the Democrats are calling chaos – the prospects for consensus on the continuing resolution is becoming increasingly narrow.
February 17, 2011
In West Virginia, T&I Committee Kicks Off Field Hearings on Long-term Bill
Before crafting their $556 billion transportation proposal, Obama administration officials toured the country, holding a series of listening sessions to hear what people wanted in a long-term transportation bill. Now, the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee is doing the same thing -- but don’t expect committee Republicans to come to the same conclusions as the administration.
February 17, 2011
Are Environmental Reviews to Blame for Infrastructure Project Delays?
Highway projects can take 10 to 15 years from planning through construction. The length of the process leads to cost overruns, some due to inflation, some from having to pay engineers and contractors for years on end. No matter how you feel about the worthiness of road capacity expansion, if a project gets built it doesn't do anybody any good to have that project cost twice what it ought to because of delays. Plus, reducing delays is going to be a key element in upcoming debates over cost-effectiveness in the transportation sector.
February 15, 2011
What to Look For in President Obama’s Budget Request on Monday
On Valentine’s Day, President Obama’s heart-shaped box of chocolates to Congress will come in the form of his budget request for 2012. It will include the president’s proposal for a six-year transportation reauthorization.
February 11, 2011
GOP Moves Ahead With Deep Cuts to Transportation, Housing
The House Appropriations Committee voted last night to move ahead with deep spending cuts, totaling $32 billion, to the remainder of the FY2011 budget. It’s still not the $100 billion the GOP wanted to cut, and some committee Republicans voted no, saying the cuts were still too small.
February 9, 2011
House Democrats Begin to Push Back on Draconian GOP Spending Cuts
Hasn’t it felt lately like Capitol Hill is in some kind of bizarre vortex?
February 9, 2011
GOP Targets Transportation, Housing For the Deepest Cuts
The House Appropriations Committee yesterday gave a glimpse into their plans to cut spending as promised. Chair Hal Rogers (R-KY) set spending ceilings each of the 12 Appropriations subcommittees, cutting the budget for the Transportation and HUD Subcommittee by 17 percent, or $11.6 billion.
February 4, 2011
AASHTO Suggests Some Tools for Getting Out of the Transpo Funding Mess
The Problem: Highway Trust Fund revenues only cover about 44 percent of the transportation system’s needs.
February 4, 2011
Transpo Committee Adds Southern Locations to Field Hearing Schedule
The T&I Committee has fleshed out the schedule of its nationwide tour to solicit input on transportation issues. The tour is an opportunity for lawmakers to hear what communities around the country would like to see in a new transportation authorization bill.
February 3, 2011