Barack Obama
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Study: How The Last Three Presidents Helped Shape Our Local Transportation Landscapes
A deep dive on one of America's largest discretionary grant programs reveals the kind of transportation projects prioritized by the last three presidential administrations. What does it mean for the future?
October 8, 2024
Not a Word About Transit in Obama Jobs Plan
President Obama released a blueprint for his second term yesterday, a 20-page booklet focused on job creation [PDF]. Let's be clear: This came from his campaign machine, not the White House.
October 24, 2012
Will Obama’s Transportation Jobs Plan Avoid Funding Sprawl?
USDOT has made public the breakdown of President Obama’s $50 billion plan to create jobs through transportation infrastructure investment. The administration says: “It will put people to work upgrading 150,000 miles of road, laying/maintaining 4,000 miles of train tracks, restoring 150 miles of runways, and putting in place a next-generation air-traffic control system that will reduce travel time and delays.”
September 28, 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
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
Behind President Obama’s Call For More Infrastructure Projects
Tomorrow night, President Obama will unveil his jobs plan before a skeptical Congress. It’s unclear how much of the $300 billion proposal will go to infrastructure, but the president has said that will be a centerpiece of the proposal. An infrastructure bank and a new version of the expired Build America Bonds program could also be on the agenda.
September 7, 2011
President Obama Pushes Congress For a Clean Extension of Transpo Bill
"I'm calling on Congress, as soon as they come back, to pass a clean extension of the surface transportation bill," President Barack Obama said from the Rose Garden this morning. "This bill provides funding for highway construction, bridge repair, mass transit systems, and other essential projects that keep our people and our commerce moving quickly and safely. And for construction workers and their families across the country, it represents the difference between making ends meet and not making ends meet."
August 31, 2011
Behind the Scenes of a Presidential Bike Ride
This week marked the 109th anniversary of the first presidential motorcade, starring Theodore Roosevelt. If you've ever wondered why TR's successors so rarely ditch their limos in favor of human-powered transport, read on. Staged photo op or no, it seems being elected president is a great way to spoil a family outing.
August 25, 2011
The Dangers of Touting the Job-Creation Benefits of Transpo Investment
Earlier this week, President Obama spoke to reporters at the White House. Fully aware of the growing concern in the country over the “jobless recovery,” Obama led off by talking about jobs – and pushing Congress to pass a transportation reauthorization. But was he using the wrong talking point?
July 1, 2011
Poll: Voters From All Walks Support Transportation Improvements, Reform
Don't be fooled by the high-pitched rhetoric in Washington. The vast majority of Americans are united, at least when it comes to the topic of transportation.
February 17, 2011