Transportation Layoffs Said to Be Weighed as U.S. Funds Expire

[True_Blue]

Source: Business Week

Feb. 27 (Bloomberg) -- The U.S. Transportation Department may lay off employees March 1, including about 150 of the 600 people who work at the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, which oversees automotive safety, according to a department official.

Department workers may be furloughed without pay because a funding measure stalled in Congress, the person said. Staff at NHTSA’s Office of Defects Investigation, which is handling the recalls of millions of Toyota Motor Co. vehicles, won’t be directly affected, the official said.

The Transportation Department furloughs may occur because the Senate failed to complete action on a bill to extend unemployment benefits. Among provisions in the measure was an extension of authorization to spend money from the federal Highway Trust Fund, which bankrolls spending for parts of the Transportation Department.

Department officials are working through the weekend to determine which employees should be exempted as essential and as performing critical safety functions at agencies such as the Federal Highway Administration and the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, the official said. Department officials are also exploring whether they can shift money to avert furloughs for a few days.

Read more: http://www.businessweek.com/news/2010-02-27/transportation-layoffs-said-to-be-weighed-as-u-s-funds-expire.html

[babylonsister]

1. Blame it on Bunning. nt

[Stinky The Clown]

2. Oh Please ..... he's a national treasure.

The preceding was sarcasm in the extreme.

[Zoeisright]

3. Well, that fits right into repukes plans. Dead people aren't going to bother

them about health insurance. And we know how repukes love more dead people.

As long as they aren't rich white males.

[True_Blue]

4. An updated article - 2000 facing layoffs tomorrow

'Senate impasse puts federal employees out of work'

WASHINGTON – Two thousand federal transportation workers will be furloughed without pay on Monday, and the Obama administration said they have a Kentucky senator to blame for it.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100301/ap_on_bi_ge/us_transportation_furloughs

[scottsoperson]

5. jim bunning is holding up the extension

of unemployment benefits. then you had that other repub who was holding veterans health benefits. talk about hubris.