NY Times: Senate Moves Toward Vote on Highway Bill ($ 318 BILLION!!!)

[La_Serpiente]

Senate Moves Toward Vote on Highway Bill

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Senate backers of a massive and politically potent highway and transit spending bill withstood challenges Thursday from conservatives objecting to the $318 billion cost over the next six years.

The legislation headed toward Senate passage but then faced another big challenge -- a White House threat that President Bush would strike it down with the first veto of his presidency.

The bill, which the House has yet to take up, is politically important to many lawmakers. It would provide states with billions of dollars in new money for roads, bridges and public transportation and create at least 1 million new jobs.

Sen. Kit Bond, R-Mo., one of its chief sponsors, said it was ``the most important economic development bill and job-creating bill, I believe, in this session of Congress.''

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Senate Moves Toward Vote on Highway Bill

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[dweller]

1. good, make him veto it

that will sit well with the unemployed around the country...there goes those jobs.

dp

[Jacobin]

2. Yippeeee....free money for EVERYONE

[hedda_foil]

3. Veto it, Smirky! Show them your stuff!!!

Go for it, boy!!!!

[manchu]

4. He would be so dumb

No chance in hell this gets vetoed.

[stevedeshazer]

5. Investing $318 billion over six years

in our infrastructure, providing jobs for millions of unemployed workers, is a good idea.

I'd much rather see that than spending money on fighting wars on false pretenses.

I'd love to see Bush veto this; Congress had no problem granting an additional $87 billion to the military WITH NO STRINGS ATTACHED, more than DOUBLE the original Iraq War budget.

Bush was speaking/lying just today about "creating jobs". If we are going to run up the federal deficit so preciptously, I'd damn sure like my kids and grandkids to have roads and bridges instead of missiles and bombs.

[Robbien]

6. This is to be paid by a hike in gas tax and the closing

of many corporate tax loopholes. It is the closing of corporate tax loopholes that Bush is against and said he would veto if still included in the bill. I have not been able to find out yet if the corporate tax loophole provisions are still in the bill. The GOP senators said they are against the hike in gas tax.

Wonder how this will all play out.

[goobergunch]

7. S 1072 (Transportation Funding Bill) PASSED Yeas 76 Nays 21

http://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_lists/roll_call_vote_cfm.cfm?congress=108&session=2&vote=00014