Federal Funding
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Movement in Congress to Let Cities and Towns Access Federal Transpo Funds
Finally, proof that Congress is capable of crafting smart transportation legislation and not just zany ways to avoid raising the gas tax.
March 23, 2015
Ranking the Sad Parade of Federal Transpo Funding Ideas From Worst to Best
The problem seems simple enough: The federal transportation program is going broke because Washington has allowed the gas tax to be eroded by inflation for more than 20 years.
March 19, 2015
Obama’s New Transportation Budget: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly
With federal transportation funding on track to run dry by May 31, Washington lawmakers are gearing up again to reset national transportation policy... or, if that doesn't work out, to limp along indefinitely under the status quo.
February 2, 2015
Congress Trims TIGER (But Doesn’t Hack It to Pieces) in 2015 Spending Bill
The drama is over; the House and Senate have both passed the "cromnibus" spending bill [PDF] that funds government operations through the end of fiscal year 2015. And the Department of Transportation's TIGER program survived.
December 15, 2014
Bi-partisan Senate Bill Would Give Locals More Say Over Transpo Spending
When it comes to transportation funding, cities and towns occupy the bottom of the totem pole. The vast majority of federal transportation money goes to states, to the exclusion of local governments. That means state DOTs get tens of billions to spend on highways each year, while mayors and local agencies have to scrounge for money to improve transit, build sidewalks, or add bike lanes.
September 22, 2014
Why the Next Fight Over Bike/Ped Funding Won’t Be Like the Last
When Congress passed a two-year transportation bill in 2012, active transportation advocates had to scrape and claw for every penny of funding for walking and biking programs. When the dust settled, it seemed they would have to repeat the same old battles when the law expired.
September 11, 2014
Congress Hits the Snooze Button on Transpo Funding Until May
Someone had to cave and last night, it was the Senate.
August 1, 2014
Building Cloverleafs Won’t Inspire Americans to Pay More for Transportation
The federal transportation fund is running out of money, threatening the country with potholes, stopped construction, and economic downturn. Congress, which has kept the program solvent with short-term patches for years, now finds itself unable to do more than buy a few months’ time.
July 23, 2014
Dems Grudgingly Approve House Transpo Extension’s Disastrous Timeline
Yesterday, during the one-hour debate period over the House proposal to extend transportation funding through May 31, lawmaker after lawmaker stood up to condemn the bill. America needs a long-term transportation bill, they said. A short-term stopgap only creates more uncertainty.
July 16, 2014