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LaHood Answers GOP Critic, Soothes Dem Skeptic of Sustainability Budget
As Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood tangled with a senior GOP
senator today over the White House's $500
million-plus request for its inter-agency office of sustainable
communities -- a
new project aimed at channeling federal energy towards local
transit-oriented and smart growth plans -- an influential Democrat
joined her fellow senator in raising questions about diverting highway
money to the effort.
May 6, 2010
Congress Approves Repayment for U.S. DOT Workers Furloughed by Bunning
After a six-week delay, Congress last night agreed to repay U.S. DOT employees for the two days of work they missed when Sen. Jim Bunning (R-KY) filibustered an extension of the 2005 transportation law, forcing a temporary shutdown of much of the federal agency’s business. Sen. Jim Bunning (R-KY) (Photo: CNN) The repayment language was … Continued
April 16, 2010
In Surprise Appearance, Ray LaHood Caps Off National Bike Summit
Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood made a surprise visit to the closing reception of the National Bike Summit last night, speaking to a record crowd of bicycle advocates and industry representatives, many of whom spent the day swarming the halls of the Capitol as part of the League of American Bicyclists (LAB) annual lobby day.
March 12, 2010
Dodd Vows to Pass Livability Bill Amid Skepticism From Rural Senators
Even as the Obama administration ramps up its work on a sustainability initiative that treats transportation, housing, and energy efficiency as interconnected aspects of development policy, the effort remains without an official congressional authorization — a situation that Senate Banking Committee Chairman Chris Dodd (D-CT) vowed to fix yesterday. Senate Banking Committee Chairman Chris Dodd … Continued
March 9, 2010
LaHood Faces Off With GOP Senator Over High-Speed Rail, Livability
When Cabinet secretaries appear in front of Congress' appropriations
committees, which control the annual budgets for each federal agency,
the proceedings tend to be dry affairs dominated by local concerns and
arcane fiscal debates.
March 4, 2010
Transportation Filibuster Update: Bunning Won’t Yield to Fellow GOPer
Federal infrastructure funding and many U.S. DOT workers remain in
limbo today as Sen. Jim Bunning (R-KY) continues his one-man filibuster
of legislation extending the 2005 transport law, turning himself into a
Democratic target and a poster child for Washington gridlock.
March 2, 2010
Federal Transportation Law Expired Over the Weekend: What’s Next?
A new month begins today without rules in place to govern federal transportation programs, thanks to an objection by Sen. Jim Bunning (R-KY) to quick approval of a short-term extension of existing law.
March 1, 2010
House Lawmakers Hail Transportation Stimulus — But Add Three Caveats
At a House transportation committee hearing today that marked the
one-year anniversary of the Obama administration's economic recovery
efforts, lawmakers offered praise for the stimulus law's impact on
local infrastructure investments even as they hit upon three key areas
of concern with its implementation.
February 23, 2010
The Upside of GOP ‘Hypocrisy’ on Transportation Stimulus Grants
To call Rep. Pete Sessions (TX), chairman of the House Republican
campaign committee, a critic of the Obama administration's stimulus law
would be putting it mildly. Sessions marked the one-year anniversary of
the law's passage last week by labeling the stimulus a "massive spending binge" that only "allegedly" created jobs in his district.
February 22, 2010
Who Lost Out in the Bid for a Piece of TIGER Transportation Stimulus?
With more than $56 billion in applications submitted for just $1.5
billion in available funding, the Obama administration's TIGER grants
-- short for Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery --
was one of the stimulus law's most hotly contested programs. So it's no
surprise that the process resulted in its share of losers as well as winners.
February 17, 2010