Tanya Snyder
Tanya became Streetsblog's Capitol Hill editor in September 2010 after covering Congress for Pacifica Radios Washington bureau and for public radio stations around the country. She lives car-free in a transit-oriented and bike-friendly neighborhood of Washington, DC.
Recent Posts
Report: Finance Committee Has Closed the $12 Billion Gap In Senate Bill
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Update 8/4: Exactly how “found” this money is seems to depend on who you ask. A Finance Committee staffer informed us yesterday that they were “working on offset options and determining which can get the support needed to move forward” — a far cry from the certainty expressed by two sources below. The issue may […]
“This Is Not a Good Bill”: Congress Holds Its Nose, Passes Debt Bill
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Both houses of Congress have now put their stamp of approval on the bill to raise the debt ceiling, just hours before a deadline that would have lowered the U.S. credit rating, forced the country to default on its debts, and potentially triggered a worldwide recession. No one seems very excited about the legislation. Sen. […]
Debt Deal Could Mean More Painful Cuts for Transportation
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The House and Senate are getting close to voting on a deal, reached over the weekend, to raise the debt ceiling and cut spending. There’s nothing in the legislative text that says anything specifically about transportation or the Highway Trust Fund, but it’s clear that the cuts mandated in the agreement will affect all sectors. […]
Sen. Wyden Proposes TRIP Bonds to Fund Transportation
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Sen. Ron Wyden (D-OR) is sort of the bond guy around the Senate. He’s a big fan of bonds as a way to raise money for infrastructure projects without much federal cost. Now he’s introduced a bill to create Transportation and Regional Infrastructure Project bonds. They’re different from Build America Bonds in several significant ways. […]
The Latest Target of House Spending Cuts: EPA’s Smart Growth Office
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For much of this week, the House has been debating next year’s appropriations bill for Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies. The bill includes harsh cuts to many key safety and environmental programs, including the EPA’s Smart Growth Office. According to the Obama administration’s statement of policy on the bill, “The bill terminates funding for EPA’s Smart Growth […]
Mica and Rail Supporters Meet Halfway
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At a meeting with members of the U.S. High-Speed Rail Association Tuesday, House Transportation Committee Chair John Mica softened his stance somewhat on his plan to privatize the Northeast Corridor. He acknowledged that the proposal is “controversial” and said that was why he framed it in a separate bill, apart from the rest of the […]
Onion: Al-Qaeda Would Reduce U.S. Infrastructure to Rubble But It’s Too Late
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You can always count on The Onion to call attention to the sorry state we’re in. Today’s story: “Al-Qaeda Claims U.S. Mass Transportation Infrastructure Must Drastically Improve Before Any Terrorist Attacks.” According to The Onion, al-Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri has demanded that the U.S. make significant repairs and upgrades to its roads, bridges, and railways […]
Gas Tax Expires September 30
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Ben Smith of Politico mentioned a little tidbit that has eluded some of us: The federal gas tax expires September 30, at the same time as the current reauthorization extension. Most of it, anyway — 4.3 cents of the current 18.4-cent-per-gallon tax will stay. The gas tax isn’t part of the reauthorization; it’s just a […]
Bike League: “Eligibility” for Bike-Ped Isn’t the Same As “Dedicated Funding”
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At this point, we’re not expecting any movement on a transportation bill, in either house, before the August recess. (After that, get ready for a panicked frenzy of activity ahead of the September 30 deadline.) From what we hear from Sen. Barbara Boxer’s staff, the EPW bill includes dedicated funding for bicycle and pedestrian projects. […]
Raquel Nelson Likely to Opt For a New Trial, Her Lawyer Says
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UPDATE 7/27: Raquel Nelson has, in fact, chosen the option of a new trial. The last thing the jury heard from Raquel Nelson’s defense lawyer, before they convicted her, was the tape of her frantic 911 call after her son, A.J., was hit by a car. “1-2-3-4-5-6, doing chest compressions on her son, screaming,” recalls […]
Chamber of Commerce: Empty Asphalt = Good Transportation Performance
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The Chamber of Commerce released its annual Transportation Performance Index (TPI) last week [PDF], and you can tell it’s due for a total overhaul, because according to the Index, recession-battered 2009 was a banner year for transportation performance. Using 2009 data, the Chamber, a powerful lobbying group that represents millions of American businesses, determined that […]
Raquel Nelson Speaks on the Today Show About Her Son and Her Court Case
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We’ve written quite a bit about Raquel Nelson over the past week or so, but now, we’ll let her speak for herself. The Today Show devoted an eight-minute segment to her case this morning, including an interview with Raquel. Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy Nelson’s lawyer, David Savoy, […]