Recent Streetsblog USA posts about U.S. Senate

Report: Finance Committee Has Closed the $12 Billion Gap In Senate Bill

By Tanya Snyder | Aug 3, 2011 | 2 Comments

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

By Tanya Snyder | Aug 2, 2011 | 1 Comment

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

By Tanya Snyder | Aug 1, 2011 | 2 Comments

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. […]

Boxer Confirms Bike-Ped Funding, Gang of Six Loves infrastructure Spending

By Tanya Snyder | Jul 21, 2011 | 6 Comments

At today’s hearing, the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee celebrated the bipartisan consensus it has reached on a new transportation reauthorization – but details of that consensus are still not public. Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-CA) did confirm that dedicated federal funding for bicycle and pedestrian programs remains in the bill. Addressing LA Mayor Antonio […]

Senate Leaders Vow to “Marry” Competing Infrastructure Bank Proposals

By Tanya Snyder | Jul 20, 2011 | 1 Comment

At a Commerce Committee hearing today, Sens. John Kerry (D-MA) and Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-TX) spoke out in favor of their infrastructure bank proposal, while Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ) and John Rockefeller (D-WV) championed their own legislation. Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-CA), who is a member of the Commerce Committee as well as chair of the Environment […]

Senate Staff Says Bill Maintains Dedicated Funding For Bike/Ped

By Tanya Snyder | Jul 20, 2011 | No Comments

We reported yesterday that the outline of the Senate bill appeared not to preserve dedicated funding for bicycle and pedestrian programs. It has come to our attention that the complete draft of the bill will include a hard commitment to bike-ped programs. Senate staff tells us that Sen. Barbara Boxer worked hard and was able to maintain her […]

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