The Center for Public Integrity

The House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee this week introduced another bill to reauthorize the currently leaderless and conflict-ridden Federal Aviation Administration. More than a year after the current act was first extended, new funding needed to tackle a host of aviation issues has been, as one Congressman put it, stuck on the tarmac.

Public transportation advocates are up in arms this week over the latest twist in an ongoing war between mass transit and highway funding in the stimulus package. Published reports indicate that Senator Kit Bond, a Missouri Republican, plans to propose amendments that redirect $2 billion from high speed rail and $5.5 billion from competitive transportation grants toward an increase in highway funding; Bond is said to be concerned that the original intended uses for that money likely wouldn’t stimulate the economy fast enough.

The big winner in the $825 billion stimulus proposal revealed Thursday by House Democrats is roads. State road projects get a proposed at $30 billion, while mass-transit projects got only $10 billion.