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Did Congress and Bush Fudge Books on Roads Bill?
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| Contributor | ArmyDem |
| Last Edited | ArmyDem Aug 04, 2005 03:01am |
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| Category | Analysis |
| Media | Newspaper - New York Times |
| News Date | Thursday, August 4, 2005 09:00:00 AM UTC0:0 |
| Description | By CARL HULSE
Published: August 4, 2005
WASHINGTON, Aug. 3 - President Bush has never exercised his veto power, but he brandished it over major transportation legislation for two years, threatening Congress with the V-word should lawmakers break the bank in pursuit of home-state road and bridge work.
So when Congress delivered transportation legislation with a price tag put at $286.4 billion, the administration claimed victory, noting the final amount was just $2 billion above the White House's limit and far below what senior members of Congress wanted.
But as details of the measure came under closer inspection this week, the spending picture got a bit blurry. In a piece of legislative legerdemain, Congress managed to stuff an extra $8.5 billion into the highway bill and still meet Mr. Bush's demands by requiring that the added money be turned back to the Treasury on Sept. 30, 2009, the day the bill expires.
The question of whether that new bottom line translates into financial flexibility or fiscal irresponsibility now depends on who is adding things up.
Budget watchdog groups, already upset at spending they equate to highway bill robbery, say the maneuver is the crowning offense perpetrated by a profligate Congress and exposes the administration as co-conspirators.
"They have this paper tiger approach of holding down the total cost when in reality Congress got its way," said Steve Ellis, vice president for programs at Taxpayers for Common Sense. "Everyone gets to walk away happy." |
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