Federal Highway Fund Running Out of Money

An important account in the federal Highway Trust Fund will run out of money this month, a situation that could hamper completion of road and bridge construction projects across the country, Transportation Secretary Mary E. Peters said on Friday.

Because the trust fund's highway account is draining away, the Transportation Department will have to delay payments for projects, Ms. Peters said at a news conference. Since money from Washington typically pays 80 to 90 percent of the cost of federally aided road work, states with shaky finances may have to consider curtailing projects.

Read the whole story here.

Comments

[TMAN]

Check in with the Palin I understand she never returned the 250 million dollar earmark from the "bridge to nowhere" after she say's she vetoed it. After of course she flip-flopped from being for it. That was only to get the money-taxpayer money, your's and mine. No end in sight in their disdain and hatred of the middle class.

Typical Republican voodoo or more to the point, flim-flam and lies. Are there any moderate Republicans out there, Independents who are undecided? I urge you to do a little due diligence in your decision making process.

[Dialogue]

An Associated Press story, reported by MSNBC, quotes President Bush as saying: "If we want people working in America, we got to make sure our highways and roads are modern." President Bush signed a 286 billion dollar highway bill, on August 10, 2005, that was only three years ago. The Republicans controlled both houses of Congress in 2005, so unless the majority of that money was spent on pet projects, it seems odd, that the highway trust fund could be out of money by the end of this month.

Maybe the Legislative Branch of Government, should appoint at least two CHO's (Congressional Highway Officers) for each state, to review highway funds as they are allocated. In addition, each state should have at least four CBO's (Congressional Bridge Officers), who would submit detailed reports quarterly, regarding the status of every bridge in the nation, including those of the Commonwealth and Territories of the United States.

The bottom line - let's greatly reduce bridge collapses, like that experienced by Minnesota last August (2007), and rebuild the public infrastructure of this nation.

[bronceye]

Soon, America will be like Arizona. We will need a plane to go anywhere. Cindy is a true visionary. She knew what her husband's tax holiday would do.

[wndrwrthg]

This will certainly be an oppurtunity for this administration to sell off more of our infrastructure to foreign investors. 'Buy America",cry the foreign investors, "Sell America" is the bushies cry.

[piper1233]

I'd guess that means a gas tax holiday is now out of the question.

[nastyvirus]

Folks, there is a very good reason that the Federal Gub'mint is depleting highway funds. Horses have been on the decline for many years, due to their nefarious pestilent ways (the horses). Now, the Bush administration believes it's time to bring horses back where they belong...carrying people and goods along dirt roads.

[ManassasMan]

Not a problem, everyone....Just send the bill to the Tooth Fairy ! After all, isn't he the one who pays for everything from oil wars to the Pentagon ? Republicans have the perfect answer for everything ! Just lower taxes for rich people and corporations, convince the dummies in the middle class to vote against their own interests, and put everything on Visa. That way, NOBODY PAYS ANY TAXES, and the country runs on a cushion of hot air !

[Janus]

Awwww, that's too bad, but Cheney-Bush working for the comfort of their have-more constituences just ignored these and many other domestic priorities.

We surely need to keep those big tax cuts, that benefit us all so much, in place for the Plutocrats and the corporations, many of whom have no tax liabilities in any event thanks to the esoteric provisions in the tax code.

In the meanwhile the average American having stagnant wages and struggling from payday to payday just needs to avoid treasonously criticizing and dissenting against U.S. policies. They need to keep waving those flags and voting for those Republicans who are the real patriots in God's Own Party.

[Babzter]

No problem, everybody! I just heard Cindy say she'll sell a few outfits on eBay and that should take of 2009.

She's going through her shoes right now to see if that will cover 2010.

[jnratliff]

Hell America is nning out of money since these idiot republicans have messed everything up.
Vote out republicans or we will all die from their stupidity!

[UnbiasView]

Hmm, I wonder how that could happen?

Maybe it is the government stealing from the highway fund for novelty light rails that cost billions . . .

Guess what government officials, when gas demand goes down you have less money coming in from the gas tax . . . STOP SPENDING.

[Synoia]

Good idea, Shall we stop spending on the Iraq war?

[UnbiasView]

Ahh, yes . . . that amoung many, many other things.

$3 trillion per year for a federal budget?

[barackobama4prez]

oh.....thus the gas tax holiday proposal......i smell a republicrat.

[UnbiasView]

You act like the gas tax holiday would be the worst thing ever when in reality the government has more than enough funds coming in . . . they just waste them.

[totaldisbelief]

Get a copy of "The Shock Doctrine" by Naomi Klein and you'll understand exactly whats going on with all the infrastructure , "social programs" and unending wars.

[Synoia]

And read "Cannibals & Kings" by Marvin Harris. It predicted this decline. Shock Capitalism is just people taking advantage of the decline.

[totaldisbelief]

Maybe if the Regime thought they could use highways to land fighters and bombers on they'd put some money into them.

[princessofnowt]

They are doing this on purpose-
next step
PRIVATIZATION

They want to let 'the market' control everything.

Roads, Water... once it is owned by a company, thats it. tough.

http://www.motherjones.com/news/feature/2007/01/highwaymen.html
http://www.geocities.com/capitolhill/lobby/6465/emerg.html

[TimmySlagle]

How much of that Highway money was spent on Public Transit?"

Highway money should be spent on Highways, not building electric trains that nobody rides.

[UnbiasView]

Public transit is and always has been a blackhole that will never be paid for by itself . . . these little novelty light rail trains are the biggest joke of all.