U.S. Senate
Dealbreaker: Senate Rejects House Budget Due to Lack of Car Subsidies
What's keeping Congress from passing an extension to the federal budget? Democratic protection of automobile subsidies.
September 23, 2011
Senate Saves a Sliver For High-Speed Rail
President Obama had sought $8 billion for high-speed rail in 2012. The House-passed budget had exactly zero. The Senate bill approved by the Transportation subcommittee Tuesday followed suit. But the full Appropriations Committee yesterday put $100 million back into next year's budget for the president's signature transportation initiative.
September 22, 2011
Senate Strips High-Speed Rail Funding
The Senate's transportation budget proposal is still under wraps, but we're getting some clues about what's in it.
September 20, 2011
Federal Support for Smart Planning Is on the Line Tomorrow
Tomorrow, a Senate panel will vote on two budget bills for FY2012, one of which is for transportation and housing programs. The draft of the bill isn't available until after the subcommittee markup tomorrow, but Smart Growth America is calling attention to the fact that it's important to make sure the bill includes funding for the Partnership for Sustainable Communities, the partnership between USDOT, the EPA, and HUD.
September 19, 2011
Last-Minute Deal Preserves Bike/Ped Funding. But For How Long?
UPDATED with comments from Sen. Tom Coburn's staff.
September 16, 2011
T4America to Sen. Coburn: Cutting Bike/Ped Won’t Fix Oklahoma’s Problems
Although SAFETEA-LU doesn't expire for another two weeks, the FAA reauthorization expires in two days, and Reid said that if Coburn doesn't change course, "we cannot get to this bill prior to Friday when the FAA expires.”
September 14, 2011
Yes, Amtrak Can Be Saved, As Long As Republican Proposals Fail
“Last year we spent more than $40 billion on highways, and Lord knows we need that -- but that’s more than we spent on Amtrak in its entire 40-year history,” New Jersey Senator Frank Lautenberg said this morning at the start of a hearing on the future of passenger rail. “And unfortunately, some say we can't afford vital public investments like these right now. And I say we can’t afford not to make these investments.”
September 14, 2011
Coburn Blocks Quick Senate Vote on Transportation Extension
Sen. Tom Coburn (R-OK) has placed a "hold" on the transportation extension, along with a bill to continue sanctions against Burma and to provide disaster relief to areas affected by Hurricane Irene and other storms.
September 14, 2011
How Dangerous is Sen. Coburn’s Amendment to Kill Bike/Ped Funding?
For the last few days, we've been talking a lot about Sen. Tom Coburn's crusade to remove bike/ped funding from the transportation bill -- even just from the six-month extension that just passed the House and is on its way to the Senate. He's determined to insert an amendment to take out the funds.
September 14, 2011
House Prepares to Vote on Extension, Coburn Will Try to Kill Bike/Ped
In a couple of hours, the House will vote on the transportation extension bill – under unanimous consent rules. That means a single vote in opposition could delay passage.
September 13, 2011