Skip to Content
Streetsblog New York City home
Streetsblog New York City home
Log In

Looks like the conference committee made quick work of the stimulus bill, with Harry Reid announcing that a deal has been reached much sooner than expected (perhaps a bit too prematurely). We'll have the specifics on transportation funding later tonight or early tomorrow. For now, relive the stimulus saga with StreetsWiki. Contributor DianaD has added some nice narrative chunks to the entry. Remember stemming the tide of Asphalt Age amendments in the Senate?

demint_inhofe.jpgSenators DeMint and Inhofe were two of the more brazenly backwards policy makers during the stimulus debate.

There were a number of discouraging setbacks for green transportation
during the crafting of the Senate bill. First, the Senate version
allocates more than $3 billion less to transit compared to the House
version. Transit's future was looking even worse when Senator Barbara Boxer

(D-CA) and Senator


James Inhofe+

(R-OK) proposed an amendment to direct another $50 billion to highway
projects. But several Democratic senators refused to support the
amendment unless a significant proportion of the funds was shifted to
public transit and clean water infrastructure; the amendment never
passed. Furthermore, Senator
Barbara Mikulski+

(D-MD) offered up an amendment that would give a tax break to new-car
buyers to bring more people into dealer showrooms. This amendment
passed 71-26.

Those car buyer tax breaks, by the way, appear to have shrunk in conference committee.

This is an important story to tell -- one we'll want to refer back to when the big multi-year transportation bill starts taking shape later this year. If you've got something to add to the entry, type it up while it's fresh in your memory. To write for StreetsWiki, all you have to do is sign up with the Livable Streets Network.

Stay in touch

Sign up for our free newsletter

More from Streetsblog New York City

Wednesday’s Headlines: Return of Summer Streets Edition

Summer Streets is back and bigger than ever. Plus more news.

July 2, 2025

How Will Mamdani Govern? His Earlier MTA Advocacy Gives Some Hints

Mamdani spent his initial years as a state assemblyman cultivating relationships in and around the MTA while crafting his vision for "fast and free buses."

July 2, 2025

Brooklyn Judge Once Again Declines to Rip Up Bedford Ave. Protected Bike Lane… For Now

Well-connected lawyer Frank Seddio argued against the Bedford Avenue protected bike lane in court on Tuesday.

Money for Something: Funding OK’d, But Details Missing For ‘Dept. Of Sustainable Delivery’

The mayor got the Council to sign off on $6.1 million for the long-awaited “Department of Sustainable Delivery." But what's it mean? No one is talking.

July 1, 2025

Incoming Albany Mayor Could Help Safe Streets Movement Statewide

The state capital is built for the car and that is how it is experienced by our lawmakers. But could that change under a new mayor? Here's hoping.

July 1, 2025

Tuesday’s Headlines: Another Child Sacrificed to the SUV Edition

Stop de kindermoord! An 8-year-old boy killed by an SUV driver is the latest victim of America's obsession with big cars. Plus other news.

July 1, 2025
See all posts