Paying Attention to Transport
This Editorial appears in the Nov. 30 print edition of Transport Topics. Click here to subscribe today.
Why is it so hard to get Washington to pay attention to transportation and infrastructure issues, no matter which party rules the roost at the White House and Capitol Hill?
After years of benign neglect, while the Republicans controlled Congress and the White House, the script hasn’t changed very much with the Democrats now in charge in both places.
What is different is that some legislators on Capitol Hill are pushing for a renewed federal emphasis on ensuring that our transportation system remains the best in the world. But that has led to intra-party feuding, with the Obama White House clearly stepping on the toes of Rep. James Oberstar (D-Minn.), who has created a plan to invest billions of federal dollars in infrastructure upgrades and repairs.
Oberstar, who is chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, is involved in a tussle with the administration over just when Congress should begin serious debate on the highway reauthorization bill, the primary federal funding mechanism for transportation projects.
The White House has been pushing for an 18-month delay, apparently believing that its drive for health-care reform, together with other ongoing issues, is more than enough to occupy Congress’ attention. These officials have proposed that current transportation spending levels be continued over the 18 months.
As justification for slowing down the highway bill, the administration pointed to the trickle of money that went into infrastructure-related projects from its huge stimulus program.
Oberstar, who spent a lot of time and energy crafting his committee’s six-year, $450 billion spending bill, lashed out at the White House during the summer, saying the issues facing the nation’s infrastructure were too important to delay. He said the White House “ran for cover” in fear of the possibility of raising the federal fuel tax to help pay for the spending bill.
Oberstar has refused to give up, and it appears that chances of Congress agreeing to a six-month delay in the bill as a compromise before considering the permanent legislation are improving.
The congressman’s chief spokesman said Oberstar wasn’t trying to create a crisis, but “we’re trying to keep the light shining on the long-term bill.”
We applaud Oberstar’s drive and doggedness to do what’s right. America needs a comprehensive, long-term transport funding bill to improve our infrastructure.
