National Infrastructure Bank
Will New Infrastructure Funding Survive the Demise of Obama’s Jobs Bill?
Tuesday night, the Senate blocked a vote on the president’s jobs plan. As had been forecast, Republicans voted unanimously against the plan, and they weren't alone: Two Democrats joined them – Sens. Jon Tester of Montana and Ben Nelson of Nebraska. Now it's on to Plan B, which involves breaking up the bill into pieces to be voted on separately.
October 13, 2011
Does the Elusive Infrastructure Bank Already Exist?
Last week, three Washington heavy-hitters brought a new contribution to the debate over a national infrastructure bank: They said we already have one.
October 7, 2011
Cantor Orders Up Tax Cuts, Hold the Jobs
Congressional insiders say that House Majority Leader Eric Cantor is refusing to hold an "all or nothing" vote on President Obama's jobs bill. Cantor says he'll bring "elements" of the bill to the floor but not the whole bill.
October 3, 2011
Obama: “I Will Veto Any Bill” Without Tax Increases on the Wealthy
In a Rose Garden speech this morning, President Obama soundly rejected Republicans’ push to address the deficit exclusively through spending cuts with no tax increases. He was responding to House Speaker John Boehner, who said last week that tax increases were “off the table.” The outcome of the current deficit-cutting fight could have significant implications for transportation-related proposals like the national infrastructure bank, which Obama included in his recently-unveiled American Jobs Act.
September 19, 2011
Politico Reporter Tweets That Senate Will Take Up Infrastructure Bank Bill
More information when we get it.
September 14, 2011
Obama Includes Infra Bank in His Jobs Push; Mica Rejects It Out of Hand
Last night, President Obama addressed a joint session of Congress to present his new jobs plan, a bill he’s calling the American Jobs Act. He relied on the well-worn appeal to people’s patriotic competitiveness by pointing out that China is improving its infrastructure while the U.S. is sitting idly by. Without mentioning the dollar figure (psst… it’s $50 billion) he said he’d get construction workers back on the job rebuilding transportation infrastructure and schools:
September 9, 2011
Boxer Confirms Bike-Ped Funding, Gang of Six Loves infrastructure Spending
At today’s hearing, the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee celebrated the bipartisan consensus it has reached on a new transportation reauthorization – but details of that consensus are still not public. Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-CA) did confirm that dedicated federal funding for bicycle and pedestrian programs remains in the bill. Addressing LA Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa:
July 21, 2011
Senate Leaders Vow to “Marry” Competing Infrastructure Bank Proposals
At a Commerce Committee hearing today, Sens. John Kerry (D-MA) and Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-TX) spoke out in favor of their infrastructure bank proposal, while Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ) and John Rockefeller (D-WV) championed their own legislation. Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-CA), who is a member of the Commerce Committee as well as chair of the Environment and Public Works Committee, also spoke strongly in favor of an infrastructure bank, although the transportation reauthorization outline she released yesterday didn’t say anything specifically about such a bank.
July 20, 2011
Fareed Zakaria: Republicans Should Embrace an Infrastructure Bank
Have you seen Fareed Zakaria's editorial in the Washington Post today? It's pretty stunning. He begins with some pretty gloomy analysis of the country's economic trajectory and some bad news about unemployment and growth. And just when it seems like there's no hope and the country's going down the tubes, he suggests one shining beacon of hope: a national infrastructure bank, the "simplest way" to help unemployed workers -- "and the country."
June 10, 2011
Sen. Kerry on Transportation Funding: “We’re in a Crazy Place Right Now”
As the House and Senate get closer to unveiling their respective transportation proposals, it’s crunch time for figuring out how to pay for infrastructure investment moving forward. Senator Max Baucus (D-MT), who has let slip that he’s in favor of a two-year reauthorization because of current funding constraints, chaired a hearing in the Finance Committee today to examine options for financing. No one panacea emerged, and conservatives on the committee and among the witnesses quickly countered most of the suggestions raised.
May 17, 2011