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Wednesday, February 4, 2004
Contact: Leonardo Alcivar,
Tel.: (202) 366-4570
DOT 10-04
Secretaries Mineta, Snow Warn Congress of Possible Veto Against More
Expensive Surface Transportation Bill
U.S. Transportation Secretary Norman Y. Mineta and Treasury Secretary John Snow
yesterday sent a letter to Congress urging passage of the Administration’s
surface transportation proposal and warning of a possible Presidential veto
should lawmakers pass any plan that includes higher taxes, long-term bonding, or
spending from the government’s general fund.
The letter sent to House and Senate leadership says transportation
infrastructure spending should not rely on an increase in gas or other federal
taxes, and that spending should not be funded through bonding or other
mechanisms “concealing the true cost to federal taxpayers.” They also wrote that
highway spending should be financed from the Highway Trust Fund, not the
Treasury’s General Fund.
The Administration’s proposal known as SAFETEA, the “Safe, Accountable, Flexible
and Efficient Transportation Equity Act,” would spend $256 billion on highway,
transit and safety programs over the next six years. It provides $45 billion
more for surface transportation programs than its predecessor, known as TEA-21.
Secretaries Mineta and Snow reminded lawmakers that the Administration’s
criteria must be met in order to ensure the President signs any surface
transportation legislation.
“If a surface transportation bill that breaches any of these principles is
presented to the President, his senior advisors would recommend that he veto the
bill,” they wrote.
In a separate statement, Secretary Mineta said, “As Congress gets set to begin
work on the proposal, we felt it necessary to restate three important principles
that must be followed if we are to recommend to the President that he sign any
bill coming from the Hill.”
“The Administration’s proposal gets the job done, without raising taxes or
increasing the deficit,” he added. “And both Secretary Snow and I look forward
to working with Congress to pass the bill as soon as possible.”
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