Elana Schor
Recent Posts
LaHood Faces Off With GOP Senator Over High-Speed Rail, Livability
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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. Sen. Kit Bond (R-MO) (Photo: Politico) But Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood’s visit with Senate appropriators today was anything but humdrum, as […]
House Passes Jobs Bill with Changes, Prompting New Senate Vote
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The House has just begun voting on the Senate jobs bill, which includes a $20 billion reprieve for the nation’s highway trust fund and an highway expansion of Build America Bonds — but though the legislation is expected to pass, it won’t be headed to the president’s desk yet. Rep. Pete DeFazio (D-OR) (Photo: UPI) […]
Senate Starts Work on New Transport Bill, With House Version as a Guide
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The Senate today took its first steps towards voting on a new long-term federal transportation bill, with environment committee chairman Barbara Boxer (D-CA) vowing to take up a successor to the 2005 infrastructure law before 2011 and indicating she would use the House’s already-introduced version as a framework. Senate environment committee chairman Barbara Boxer (D-CA), […]
Bunning Throws in the Towel, Congress Restores Transport Funding
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Workers at the U.S. DOT and on transportation projects around the country are back on the job today after Sen. Jim Bunning (R-KY) lost his politically hazardous battle against a 30-day extension of federal infrastructure law and unemployment benefits. Sen. Jim Bunning (R-KY) (Photo: CNN) But while Republicans sought to distance themselves from Bunning’s five-day […]
Transportation Filibuster Update: Bunning Won’t Yield to Fellow GOPer
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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. Sen. Jim Bunning (R-KY) was heard quipping "tough s—t" as he began blocking an […]
Could a New Kind of Fuel Tax Help Break the Senate Climate Deadlock?
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Even before the Senate environment panel pushed through a GOP protest to approve its climate change bill, Sens. Lindsey Graham (R-SC), Joe Lieberman (I-CT), and John Kerry (D-MA) were working behind the scenes on a so-called "tripartisan" plan that can win enough votes in Congress’ upper chamber to make nationwide emissions cuts a reality. (from […]
Federal Transportation Law Expired Over the Weekend: What’s Next?
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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. The Natchez Trace Parkway, where trail construction is set to stall today thanks to inaction on federal transport law. (Photo: TheFunTimesGuide.com) The […]
Build America Bonds: Good for Transportation … Good for Goldman Sachs?
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The taxpayer-subsidized infrastructure financing program known as Build America Bonds (BABs), which would get a big boost in the Senate’s new jobs bill, has proven helpful for local transit agencies and other transportation officials seeking a way to fund big new projects during a crushing economic recession. New York’s MTA sold $750 in BABs last […]
Deja Vu Again: One-Man Senate Filibuster Imperils Federal Transport Law
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A familiar script for Washington infrastructure watchers began to unfold last night on the Senate floor, as House-side resistance to a 10-month extension of existing federal transportation law prompted Democratic leaders to seek a quick deal on a one-month stopgap — the fourth such short-term move in six months. Sen. Jim Bunning (R-KY) (Photo: CNN) […]
Report: Obama’s 2011 Budget Leaves Cities in a Fiscal Hole of $16B-Plus
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(Chart: National League of Cities) The White House’s proposed budget for 2011 would direct $2.8 billion to its biggest-ticket urban aid programs, even as American city governments face estimated budget shortfalls of at least $19 billion next year, according to a report released today by the nonpartisan Drum Major Institute (DMI). The report compares urban […]
LaHood: Lower Speeds Doesn’t Save Lives
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Megan McArdle at the Atlantic, writing on today’s Toyota hearing in the House oversight committee, hears Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood claim that "lowering the speed limit to 30 mph would not save any lives, which is why we have minimum speeds on highways." LaHood, at left, with the president at right. (Photo: whitehouse via Flickr) […]
Obama Adviser: If EPA is Blocked on Emissions, Forget About CAFE Deal
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Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) chief Lisa Jackson extended an olive branch this week to lawmakers who are pushing to block her from regulating carbon emissions in the absence of a congressional climate bill, but Jackson’s promise to delay action until next year appears to have made no headway with Republicans and coal-state Democrats. Carol Browner, […]