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TRANSPORT FUNDS * USA - DOT to shut down on Tuesday
* Oberstar Says Senator’s Action Threatens DOT Shutdown
Washington,DC,USA -Transport Topics -26 Feb 2010: -- A procedural maneuver in the U.S. Senate that blocked passage a long-term extension of federal highway funding could shut down several Department of Transportation agencies, including the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, beginning Tuesday, Rep. James Oberstar (D-Minn.) said Friday... He said in a hastily arranged news conference that in a “rather arbitrary and willful action,” Sen. James Bunning (R-Ky.) failed to join the rest of the Senate in giving unanimous consent to a bill to reauthorize funding for federal highway programs though Dec. 31... Oberstar said that as a result, an estimated 4,000 employees working for FMCSA, the Federal Highway Administration and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration could be furloughed starting Tuesday... States also would not be reimbursed for their share of federal highway funds, he said... Oberstar said Bunning also threatened to filibuster the bill and that the Senate had to adjourn Friday because senators could not find a way to counter Bunning’s actions... (Photo: DOT Building,Wash,DC)* Senate face-off could close highway, trucking, safety units
The Journal of Commerce Online, by John D. Boyd -Feb 26, 2010: ... The transportation funding is attached to a jobs bill the Senate passed this week, but the House of Representatives sent back a narrowed version due to a dispute over highway funding formulas... The Senate then deadlocked late Thursday after Bunning refused to give his consent for passage by a small group of senators, as he insisted that the jobs bill be paid for out of stimulus funds or some other means to avoid swelling the deficit. The full Senate could override his objection when normal voting resumes Tuesday...* Land Line Magazine -Feb. 26, 2010: ... The Highway Trust Fund has been surviving on a series of short-term extensions since the surface transportation law known as SAFETEA-LU technically expired in September 2009... The U.S. House and Senate have been under tremendous pressure to extend the provisions of SAFETEA-LU beyond Sunday’s deadline... U.S. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-NV, asked his colleagues on Friday to lend unanimous consent to a 30-day extension for highway programs offered by the House, but Sen. Jim Bunning, R-KY, did not consent, citing the fiscal ramifications of the $10 billion cost. Bunning’s threat of filibuster caused Reid to adjourn the Senate on Friday for the weekend. Senators are scheduled to return Tuesday with the matter only baby steps closer to resolution... Oberstar said Friday that in order to get the DOT back to work as soon as possible, he would lend his support in the House to passing the $15 billion Senate version of jobs legislation, HR2847... The jobs bill contains a provision for shoring up the Highway Trust Fund through the end of 2010. The House originally wanted the highway extension to last only through Sept. 30 as lawmakers work on a five- or six-year highway bill...
Labels: transportation funds
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