Republicans - Greater Greater Washington

Rs say no to Outer Beltway

Tue, 30 Apr 2013 08:36:00 EDT

6 Virginia Republican legislators came out against Governor McDonnell's plan to build the Outer Beltway in Virginia. They say it's too costly and will worsen traffic on I-66, which is the higher priority. (Examiner)

Comment

MD GOP vs. transit

Wed, 27 Mar 2013 08:34:00 EDT

by David Alpert

A Frederick and Carroll Republican state senator doesn't want to see money go to transit from Maryland's proposed gas sales tax increase. (Examiner)

Comment

Issa endorses better design

Wed, 06 Mar 2013 08:52:00 EDT

by David Alpert

Rep. Darrell Issa (R-CA) wants to give DC more autonomy to decide its own own building heights, and said building quality is more about "how well you go high" rather than absolute height. (City Paper)

Comment

Election "rigging" won't pass

Wed, 06 Feb 2013 08:48:00 EDT

by David Alpert

The Virginia Senate rejected the bill to allocate electoral votes by Congressional district, while the House speaker is likely to kill the surprise inauguration gerrymandering measure. Democrats cited it as a reason to oppose McDonnell's transportation plan (but hopefully far from the only reason). (Post)

Comment

Where's Bob? McDonnell MIA on Metro funding (Feb 16, 2011)
McDonnell trying again to take WMATA seat from NoVA (Mar 31, 2011)
Virginians: Don't forget to vote (Nov 3, 2009)
Virginia legislators say "raise the gas tax" (Jan 29, 2013)
Virginians: Ask your reps to oppose bad highway bills (Jan 20, 2011)

VA GOP wants to change electoral college rules

Thu, 24 Jan 2013 09:05:00 EDT

by David Alpert

Not content with redrawing district lines to give themselves more seats, Virginia Republicans also want to change the way the state allocates electoral votes to hand them out by Congressional district. That would have given Mitt Romney 9 more electoral votes in 2012. (Slate)

Comment

For Congress in Virginia and DC State Board of Education (Nov 1, 2010)
McDonnell admin. drops another transit funding bombshell (Jun 18, 2012)
Where's Bob? McDonnell MIA on Metro funding (Feb 16, 2011)
What's wrong with empowering cities? (Jan 4, 2008)
Nonpartisan DC primary would give winners more legitimacy (Apr 19, 2012)

VA GOP tries a coup

Tue, 22 Jan 2013 08:26:00 EDT

by David Alpert

While one Virginia Senate Democrat and civil rights leader was at the inauguration, the Republicans rushed through a redistricting plan that will likely help them win one more seat this fall. (Examiner)

Comment

Where's Bob? McDonnell MIA on Metro funding (Feb 16, 2011)
Virginia tea party opposes less government regulation with anti-Smart Growth, "eco-extremist" hysteria (Feb 5, 2011)
McDonnell trying again to take WMATA seat from NoVA (Mar 31, 2011)
Council At-Large: this Democrat's voting for Mara (Oct 30, 2008)
GOPers blast the newest Dem star: How dare he pay for transportation! (Jun 12, 2009)

Darrell Issa, DC's best friend

Fri, 18 Jan 2013 08:42:00 EDT

by David Alpert

When many thought House Republicans might try to re-impose the Control Board, oversight chairman Darrell Issa instead turned out to be a big advocate for more DC budget autonomy. How did that happen? (City Paper)

Comment

And...

Thu, 17 Jan 2013 08:07:00 EDT

by David Alpert

One of the few pro-bicycle Republicans will chair a key House transportation subcommittee. (Streetsblog) ... Glenn Beck really hates central planning, except when he centrally plans his own city. (Streetsblog) ... Bethesda's bus bays might have to close for 2 years for renovations. (BethesdaNow)

Comment

House GOP would wipe out local control over bike/ped funds (Jun 8, 2012)
House GOP moves to decimate transit funding (Feb 2, 2012)
GOP transportation bill's new direction is the same old one (Jul 11, 2011)
House bill delayed, but transit, walking, biking aren't safe yet (Feb 23, 2012)
Transportation in Congress roundup: Leaders agree on extension, GOP would kill Amtrak, & Obama proposal (Sep 12, 2011)

McDonnell's insane transportation plan: no gas tax

Wed, 09 Jan 2013 10:29:00 EDT

by David Alpert

We knew there would be some nutty proposals in the Virginia legislature this year, and some serious attempts to fix transportation funding, but Governor Bob McDonnell managed to stun everyone yesterday with a real doozy: eliminate the gas tax entirely. Seriously.

Gas pump in Winfall, VA by nannetteturner on Flickr.

Virginia sorely needs money for transportation. While McDonnell is borrowing $3 billion from the future to fund a few mega-road projects (many also unnecessary and wasteful), there isn't enough money to keep maintaining existing roads and bridges, or fund 8-car trains on Metro to relieve Rush Plus overcrowding, or build light rail Northern Virginia needs.

Virginia's gas tax is also one of the lowest in the nation. It brings in less money per gallon of gas, adjusted for inflation, than anytime in history, and is less than half in real dollars what it was in 1933. That's why a lot of Virginia legislators are calling for real action on transportation this year.

Even a few Republicans are maybe interested in finding a tortured path around their promises not to ever raise taxes, like Delegate Dave Albo's not-entirely-insane idea to raise the gas tax but give Virginia residents an income tax break to offset it.

Jim Titus suggested Virginia consider a variant of a proposal Maryland debated last year, to extend some or all of the sales tax to gasoline instead of raising the gas tax. Gas is exempt from the sales tax, which means that while the gas tax raises some revenue, the state's general fund loses the revenue that would have come from taxing the sale of that gas just like it taxes housewares or computers or anything else.

McDonnell's plan takes the opposite tack. He would eliminate the gas tax entirely, but also keep exempting gas from the sales tax. He said, "That's right, no more gas tax at the pump. No sales tax at the pump either."

The state would then collect no money at all on people buying gas, even though it collects money from people buying most anything else. It even has a sales tax on groceries, unlike DC and Maryland. This means you would pay something for buying grapes and ginger but not gasoline.

But wait, isn't McDonnell's plan a transportation funding plan? McDonnell would then raise the sales tax by 0.8 cents on the dollar. This would bring in $183 million a year by 2018, but less now. Meanwhile, many people say the state needs about $1 billion a year for transportation. Fairfax County alone says they need $300 million a year. The Washington Post calls the revenue from this plan "paltry."

Governor McDonnell proposes dedicating the first $300 million the sales tax raises to the Silver Line. He's certainly doing this to try to win the votes of northern Virginia legislators. But the state should already have been providing at least $500 million or more for this project years ago. McDonnell, instead, withheld the money and now is trying to use it as a bargaining chip.

This is insane

This is not just a silly proposal or, like most from the tax-phobic Virginia Republicans, ineffective. It's actually deeply harmful.

While it raises a small amount of revenue, it more significantly shifts the burden of paying for transportation away from people using transportation and onto everyone. Don't have a car? Except for the car tax, you will still pay for Virginia roads as much as everyone else. Live close to your job? Too bad, you pay the same as someone with a 50-mile commute.

It's notable that McDonnell didn't propose making transit free. If we're talking radical ideas, how about that? It's a close equivalent to having no gas tax, as road users pay some (but not all) the cost of road maintenance through the gas tax (and Virginia covers other costs with revenue from other sources), and transit users pay some (but not all) the cost of transit through fares.

Virginia's gas taxes also have a regional impact. Some people already prefer to buy gasoline in Virginia versus DC or Maryland because it's cheaper. If Virginia goes for McDonnell's idea, the gap between Virginia gas prices and DC and Maryland gas prices would widen. More people would buy gas in Virginia. Some would even drive out of their way to go to a gas station in Virginia, making traffic even worse.

But for all that, the state wouldn't even benefit one bit. When Virginia steals companies away from DC and Maryland with corporate tax breaks, it's a net loss for the whole region, but at least from Virginia's point of view there's an upside in that they get other revenue. This doesn't have an upside, except possibly a very tenuous general attraction for a few people to live in Virginia because of the gas taxes; but if any of those people exist, they drive a lot, meaning they'll worsen traffic for everyone else.

There's more

Besides the sales tax, there are a few other elements to the proposal.

It would raise vehicle registration fees by $15 per year and allocate 50% to transit and 50% to intercity rail, raising about $109 million per year. The latter portion would fund commitments the state has already made for expanded Virginia Amtrak service.

Another element is to charge alternative fuel vehicles $100 per year. McDonnell's argument is that since these use less gas, they should contribute to the costs of road maintenance. But it's particularly ironic that he's looking to have these vehicles pay for road maintenance while exempting regular gas-guzzlers.

Finally, McDonnell is hoping Congress will pass the Marketplace Equity Act, which lets states charge sales taxes on online purchases. But it's very dubious to count on this bill, as observers think it has only a small chance of passing. Plus, absent the Governor's plan, this bill could give Virginia money it also needs for education, public safety, and other priorities.

McDonnell has somehow managed to come up with one of the worst transportation funding plans conceivable. It's even worse than doing nothing, and doing nothing should not be an option. The legislature needs to laugh him out of the room and either come up with something better, or hope that the next governor has better sense.

124 comments

McDonnell transportation plan: Mortgage future, build roads (Dec 10, 2010)
O'Malley's sales tax on gas is the right way to fund transport (Feb 2, 2012)
Maryland transportation "lockbox" has a big hole (Feb 8, 2011)
McDonnell still pushing WMATA takeover, vote Thursday (Oct 5, 2010)
O'Malley must step up on transportation funding (Dec 19, 2012)

Shuster gets transportation chair

Thu, 29 Nov 2012 08:46:00 EDT

by Steven Yates

Bill Shuster (R-PA) will chair the House Transportation Committee. He supports high-speed rail, but only privatized and in the Northeast Corridor, and wants more focus on highways and less on bike paths. (Streetsblog)

Comment

GOP transportation bill's new direction is the same old one (Jul 11, 2011)
Transportation in Congress roundup: Leaders agree on extension, GOP would kill Amtrak, & Obama proposal (Sep 12, 2011)
House GOP moves to decimate transit funding (Feb 2, 2012)
Stimulus compromise won't cut transit (Feb 7, 2009)
House GOP would wipe out local control over bike/ped funds (Jun 8, 2012)

Cities beat GOP

Wed, 14 Nov 2012 08:12:00 EDT

by David Alpert

The national Republican pattern of demonizing cities isn't a recipe for electoral success any more. Is there an alternative? Yes, like Ed Glaeser's anti-zoning, anti-road subsidy urban libertarian credo. But can the party move that way? (TNR)

Comment

What's wrong with empowering cities? (Jan 4, 2008)
Cities are more than just poverty (Dec 19, 2007)
Council At-Large: this Democrat's voting for Mara (Oct 30, 2008)
Is Cato turning around? (Aug 19, 2010)
Is there a tea party urbanism? (Feb 9, 2011)

City Dems, rural GOP?

Thu, 08 Nov 2012 08:15:00 EDT

by Steven Yates

The presence of sidewalks strongly correlates with voting Democratic. But how much longer can Republicans continue to ignore cities? Paul Ryan actually wanted to campaign in cities. (Streetsblog, Atlantic Cities, Next American City)

Comment

GOP win bad for DC real estate? No

Fri, 26 Oct 2012 08:20:00 EDT

by David Alpert

Conventional wisdom is that a Republican administration would spell doom for the DC real estate market. It's totally false. Republicans like living in DC too, and U Street "got cool under Bush." One factor that is better for DC real estate: a Congress that passes more bills. (City Paper)

Comment

The silver lining of the real estate bust (Mar 9, 2009)
Donatelli builds what investors will fund (Mar 10, 2008)
Conservatives for congestion pricing (Feb 8, 2007)
Back to the future in commercial real estate (Jan 2, 2009)
Conservatives should embrace transit (and bicycling), but don't (Apr 21, 2009)

GOP hates cities?

Tue, 09 Oct 2012 08:38:00 EDT

by David Alpert

National Republicans have been hostile to cities dating to Al Smith's 1928 presidential campaign and then FDR. However, more moderate Republicans have been able to do well in some cities at the mayoral level. (NYT)

Comment

Good, bad, ugly of Romney's smart growth record

Thu, 06 Sep 2012 08:31:00 EDT

by Steven Yates

As governor of Massachusetts, Mitt Romney did divert some funding away from transit projects, but he also supported many smart growth initiatives and focused on fixing existing infrastructure. Though his running mate and his party's platform seem less friendly to transit. (Streetsblog)

Comment

Presidential candidates on transit, cycling and walking (Jan 31, 2008)
Bush budget terrible for cities (Mar 5, 2008)
Post endorses mass transit (Dec 9, 2008)
More people support transit than new or wider highways (Mar 6, 2012)
"Everyone benefits if we can leave our cars" (Nov 20, 2008)

GOP on transportation

Thu, 30 Aug 2012 08:17:00 EDT

by Steven Yates

Republicans officially want to cut Amtrak and high speed rail funding and think President Obama's investments in infrastructure have been for "an exclusively urban vision of dense housing and government transit." (Streetsblog)

Comment

"Everyone benefits if we can leave our cars" (Nov 20, 2008)
GO VOTE (Nov 4, 2008)
High-speed rail, here we come (Feb 12, 2009)
Presidential candidates on transit, cycling and walking (Jan 31, 2008)
Transportation in Congress roundup: Leaders agree on extension, GOP would kill Amtrak, & Obama proposal (Sep 12, 2011)

Republican platform on DC

Wed, 29 Aug 2012 08:33:00 EDT

by Thaddeus Bell

The Republican platform on DC lauds their corruption-busting, pushes for broader gun rights, and opposes statehood. (DCist)

Comment

Virginia Republican pursuing vendetta against Arlington for not wanting to be a "giant interchange" (Jan 25, 2011)

Convention, meet city

Mon, 20 Aug 2012 08:37:00 EDT

by Steven Yates

As Republicans get ready to hold their convention in Tampa, they will find a city that reflects many of their ideals for a city with low-density sprawl and little investment in infrastructure. (Salon)

Comment

Convention center plans nice except for skybridges (Mar 17, 2008)
Which came first, the city or the liberal? (Jul 4, 2005)

Target streetcar, hit other things too

Fri, 06 Jul 2012 08:37:00 EDT

by Steven Yates

One congressman is trying to defund Cincinnati's streetcar, but his amendment could defund other projects, including bus-ways and water-ways. (Cincinnati Enquirer, Adam S.)

Comment

Why the Silver Line survived

Thu, 05 Jul 2012 08:46:00 EDT

by David Alpert

Silver Line foe Ken Reid became the swing vote for the project because the board agreed to specifically tax property owners who will benefit, and because of business support. But many in his party are angry. (Post)

Comment

BREAKING: Loudoun approves Silver Line (Jul 3, 2012)
Will the Silver Line produce sprawl like highways do? (Mar 20, 2011)
Thwarting unlikely terror attacks beats building decent transit on MWAA's Silver Line priority list (Nov 8, 2010)
Anti-transit ideology endangers Silver Line (May 11, 2012)
What happens if Loudoun drops out of Metro? (Jun 25, 2012)

DC budget autonomy on hold again

Wed, 27 Jun 2012 08:43:00 EDT

by Thaddeus Bell

DC officials asked a Senate subcommittee to pull a DC budget autonomy bill after Senator Rand Paul proposed amendments on gun laws, abortion, and unions in what DC Vote called "stunning hypocrisy." (Post, DCist)

Comment

How much federal money does DC actually get? (Jul 5, 2011)
Budget deal keeps government open but hurts DC (Apr 9, 2011)
House passes Amtrak bill (for real this time) (Jun 11, 2008)
Senate committee backs infrastructure, but not bike lanes (Jan 27, 2011)
Next stop: Metro funding (Aug 3, 2009)

House rejects transportation extremism

Mon, 11 Jun 2012 08:45:00 EDT

by David Alpert

Maybe Democrats and Republicans aren't so far apart on transportation after all. A tea party-supported resolution to cut transportation spending failed 323 to 82, exposing divisions in the GOP. (Streetsblog)

Comment

GOP transportation bill's new direction is the same old one (Jul 11, 2011)
House GOP moves to decimate transit funding (Feb 2, 2012)
House GOP would wipe out local control over bike/ped funds (Jun 8, 2012)
House transportation bill is "a march of horribles" (Jan 30, 2012)
House bill delayed, but transit, walking, biking aren't safe yet (Feb 23, 2012)

House GOP would wipe out local control over bike/ped funds

Fri, 08 Jun 2012 11:08:00 EDT

by Tanya Snyder

The House GOP couldn't pass a transportation bill of their own, so now they want to undo one of the major bi-partisan achievements in the Senate transportation bill.

Image from Elvert Barnes via the Ped-Bike Information Center.

As part of its counter-offer to the Senate in conference committee negotiations over the transportation bill, the House appears to be proposing the elimination of the Cardin-Cochran amendment, which would allow local jurisdictions to control funds for bike/ped projects.

The House proposal, sent to the Senate yesterday, would would effectively block access to bike/ped funding for many towns, cities, and regions located in states where the department of transportation places a low priority on street safety.

Politico Pro reported that House conferees confirmed that the first part of its counter to the Senate offer would "retain the Transportation Enhancements program's overall structure but would let states opt out." Transportation Enhancements is one of the principal funding mechanisms for bike/ped projects. Neither Politico nor Streetsblog has seen a copy of the couter-offer, so it's unclear exactly how the proposal is framed.

Initially, under the Senate's MAP-21 bill, TE was subsumed under a subset of the Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality Program called "Additional Activities," which states could opt out of entirely. But thanks to a bi-partisan amendment crafted by Mississippi Republican Thad Cochran and Maryland Democrat Ben Cardin, decision-making authority for those funds was devolved from states to local governments, which tend to place a higher priority on active transportation programs.

The House proposal appears to erase that progress.

"By allowing states to opt out of Additional Activities funding, the House counter-offer would prevent local governments from accessing funds for small-scale, local transportation projects," said Mary Lauran Hall, communications coordinator for America Bikes. "It pits state control against local control. We've heard from mayors and local elected officials across the country that they want funding for these projects. It doesn't make sense to take away the tiny portion of transportation dollars that trickle to local governments."

The House is expected to complete its counter-offer over the next few days.

Cross-posted at Streetsblog Capitol Hill.

13 comments

House bill delayed, but transit, walking, biking aren't safe yet (Feb 23, 2012)
Bipartisanship brings zilch for bike-ped in Senate outline (Jul 20, 2011)
House transportation bill is "a march of horribles" (Jan 30, 2012)
House GOP moves to decimate transit funding (Feb 2, 2012)
Virginia needs a tea party to overthrow Agenda 639 (Apr 16, 2012)

Right-wing group fighting Silver Line

Sat, 02 Jun 2012 15:42:00 EDT

by David Alpert

A Koch brothers-funded group has been making robocalls to Loudoun residents asking them to oppose the Silver Line as a "bailout to rail-station developers." (Post)

Comment

Will the Silver Line produce sprawl like highways do? (Mar 20, 2011)
Rail to Dulles, Loudoun has a silver lining (Sep 23, 2010)
Fairfax Silver Line names are boring and repetitive (Mar 29, 2011)
Thwarting unlikely terror attacks beats building decent transit on MWAA's Silver Line priority list (Nov 8, 2010)
Dulles needs an express rail line (Oct 9, 2009)

All not well with transpo bill

Fri, 01 Jun 2012 08:33:00 EDT

by Steven Yates

House Republicans might scuttle chances for a bipartisan transportation bill, especially the important Cardin-Cochran Amendment giving more localities control over their transportation spending. (Streetsblog, T4A)

Comment

House bill delayed, but transit, walking, biking aren't safe yet (Feb 23, 2012)
House GOP moves to decimate transit funding (Feb 2, 2012)
When will Oberstar's transportation bill drop? Place your bets now (Jun 10, 2009)
Oberstar to release transportation outline on Wednesday (Jun 15, 2009)
House passes Amtrak bill (for real this time) (Jun 11, 2008)

Don't bike on me?

Thu, 24 May 2012 08:47:00 EDT

by Steven Yates

The Tea Party is trying to kill Transportation Enhancements funding, which funds many bicycle and pedestrian projects, in the transportation bill's conference committee. Republicans also don't want to allow local transit agencies to spend capital money on operation in times of high unemployment. (Streetsblog)

Comment

GOP transportation bill's new direction is the same old one (Jul 11, 2011)
Bipartisanship brings zilch for bike-ped in Senate outline (Jul 20, 2011)
Fairfax greasing the chain (Oct 8, 2009)
House bill delayed, but transit, walking, biking aren't safe yet (Feb 23, 2012)
Virginia holding up transit funds over Metro board seat (Sep 29, 2011)

DC mayor Franks gets complaints

Thu, 24 May 2012 08:47:00 EDT

by David Alpert

DC residents tried to leave constituent complaints such as the need for Metro funding and pothole repair for Trent Franks, an Arizona Republican who introduced a bill overriding DC's abortion laws. DC Vote decided that if he wants to be DC's mayor, he should provide constituent service. (Fox 5)

Comment

And...

Fri, 18 May 2012 08:15:00 EDT

by David Edmondson

A Prince William mixed-use proposal failed to draw a single bid, so it's back to the drawing board. (WBJ) ... Frequent biking can lead to problems "down there" for men and women, depending on handlebar configuration. (Medical Daily, Xavier) ... The GOP may be willing to part with the Keystone Pipeline in the transportation bill. (The Hill)

Comment

VDOT was supposed to install signal where pedestrian killed (Oct 17, 2010)
12 ways our region could reform bicycling laws (Jan 22, 2010)
What is "mixed use"? (Apr 9, 2010)
Is a Metro extension to Woodbridge a good idea? (Sep 20, 2011)
The zombie outer beltway returns (Aug 5, 2011)

Can't change gas prices

Mon, 07 May 2012 08:34:00 EDT

by Steven Yates

Both political parties want to lower gas prices, but take ineffective steps to try to do it. Democrats go after speculators, while Republicans want to soften clean air regulation. (Streetsblog)

Comment

This Modern World on gas prices (Jun 10, 2008)
Who's causing congestion on I-66? Hybrids or scofflaws? (Feb 20, 2011)
Prices affect parking less than San Francisco expected (Dec 13, 2011)
Wisconsin man protests gas prices by biking (May 17, 2008)
Columbia Heights parking report needs more detail (Dec 7, 2009)

No bill puts safety at risk

Wed, 11 Apr 2012 08:49:00 EDT

by Steven Yates

House Republicans blocking a long term transportation bill could be putting Metro safety upgrades at risk, as these efforts depend on federal support. (WAMU)

Comment

Transportation bill gridlocked

Thu, 22 Mar 2012 08:29:00 EDT

by Steven Yates

House Republicans voted down a motion to pass the Senate's transportation bill. They want a 3- month extension on the current bill, which runs out March 31, but Democrats don't agree. (Post, Transportation Nation)

Comment

House GOP against transpo bill because Dems voted for it

Sat, 17 Mar 2012 11:22:00 EDT

by David Alpert

The House won't take up the transportation bill that the Senate passed with bipartisan support. An analyst says that's because Democrats are for it, and House Republicans apparently are against any policy Democrats support, no matter what it is. (Streetsblog)

Comment

House GOP moves to decimate transit funding (Feb 2, 2012)
House bill delayed, but transit, walking, biking aren't safe yet (Feb 23, 2012)
House transportation bill is "a march of horribles" (Jan 30, 2012)
When will Oberstar's transportation bill drop? Place your bets now (Jun 10, 2009)
Roll call vote on Amtrak (Jun 12, 2008)

No cloture, no Mica

Wed, 07 Mar 2012 08:39:00 EDT

by David Alpert

The Senate failed to reach cloture on its transportation bill because Republicans wanted to force it to be more like the House bill. Meanwhile, House leaders have pushed John Mica aside and given control of the House's bill to ~~Bud~~ Bill Shuster, who has a more extreme view. (Streetsblog)

Comment

Transpo bill moves right

Fri, 02 Mar 2012 08:39:00 EDT

by David Alpert

The House GOP has cut the transportation bill to 18 months, but have made it even more conservative, says Steve LaTourette (R-OH), who opposed the original bill. John Mica blames transit riders. (Transportation Nation, Streetsblog)

Comment

House GOP moves to decimate transit funding (Feb 2, 2012)
House bill delayed, but transit, walking, biking aren't safe yet (Feb 23, 2012)
STAA tuned: Transportation bill leaves funding question hanging (Jun 23, 2009)
GOP transportation bill's new direction is the same old one (Jul 11, 2011)
Oberstar bill includes more money for transit, complete streets (Jun 18, 2009)

Women's rights take step backward

Sat, 18 Feb 2012 14:37:00 EDT

by David Alpert

Virginia will require an intrusive and medically unnecessary procedure to try to deter women who want or need legal abortions. (Slate)

Comment

Republicans for transit

Tue, 14 Feb 2012 08:02:00 EDT

by David Alpert

Six Republican Congressmen from New York, Pennsylvania and Ohio support restoring transit funding in the transportation bill. Several also plan to vote against the bill in its current form. (Streetsblog)

Comment

House GOP moves to decimate transit funding (Feb 2, 2012)
Oberstar bill includes more money for transit, complete streets (Jun 18, 2009)
Nadler transit amendment passes on voice vote (Jan 28, 2009)
Oberstar to release transportation outline on Wednesday (Jun 15, 2009)
When will Oberstar's transportation bill drop? Place your bets now (Jun 10, 2009)

House GOP moves to decimate transit funding

Thu, 02 Feb 2012 18:17:00 EDT

by Ben Goldman

In a move that should dispel any remaining thoughts that the House transportation bill will ever be signed into law, the Ways and Means Committee announced today that they will try to forbid gas tax revenue from funding transit.

Photo by Jim Nix / Nomadic Pursuits on Flickr.

The Ways & Means bill (PDF) would funnel all gas tax revenue toward road programs, redirecting billions of dollars per year away from transit, which for decades has received about 20% of fuel tax receipts.

Instead, the House GOP wants transit funding to come entirely from the general fund, pitting transit against all other government spending. To offset that spending, $40 billion would have to be cut from the rest of the federal budget.

Essentially, the House GOP is holding transit hostage to achieve budget cuts elsewhere—and they don't seem to care if the hostage dies. They will also be tossing aside a precedent set during the Reagan administration, one that has enjoyed bipartisan support through several transportation bills, including the 2005 law, known as SAFETEA-LU, which was passed by a Republican president and Republican Congress.

Dan Smith of USPIRG put it like this:

The House Ways and Means Bill stops just short of defunding America's public transit system. Instead it says that the real money with a funding source will all go to highways, while the tooth fairy will pay for transit. For Big Oil and the highway lobby, this is a dream, but it's a nightmare for America's transportation future.

In keeping with the secretive nature of the current House's transportation reauthorization process, the announcement comes just one day before Ways and Means will mark up the bill. There is even less time to protect transit funding in the House bill than there was to protect bike/ped programs in today's T&I markup.

Cross-posted at Streetsblog DC.

16 comments

GOP transportation bill's new direction is the same old one (Jul 11, 2011)
House transportation bill is "a march of horribles" (Jan 30, 2012)
LaHood vows to avert federal transportation bankruptcy (Jun 4, 2009)
STAA tuned: Transportation bill leaves funding question hanging (Jun 23, 2009)
Transportation in Congress roundup: Leaders agree on extension, GOP would kill Amtrak, & Obama proposal (Sep 12, 2011)

Gingrich sneers at urban living

Sat, 21 Jan 2012 09:31:00 EDT

by David Alpert

Newt Gingrich scorned people who live in apartments and/or ride the Metro, saying in a speech to the National Association of Home Builders that such people don't understand the value of homeownership. (WSJ via Yglesias)

Comment

Biden praises rail investment (Dec 2, 2008)
Rewarding urban living in mortgages and insurance (Apr 22, 2008)
Walkability's comeback (Feb 4, 2008)
Stop distorting the cost of living with anti-urban subsidies (Jul 29, 2011)