Hopes for passage of any long term Highway Trust Fund
reauthorization legislation faded further this week as the Senate stumbled and
fumbled action on its $41.6 billion per year, two year version of the measure. Current
Trust Fund taxing and spending authority expires March 31, 2012, when the
eighth band aid short term extension provision expires. The House version of
the long term reauthorization bill, proposing $34.6 billion/year for five
years, fell apart completely amid political warfare over its details and never
came to a floor vote.
March 6 the Senate failed to vote cloture on its version of
the bill, amid Republican desires to continue attaching amendments respecting
non-germane issues like birth control insurance coverage, the Keystone XL
pipeline environmental review, airborne emission controls on operating boilers,
and offshore oil drilling. So far those Senate amendments have all failed, but
the interminable Senate debate continues on every sort of proposed amendment
any Senator hopes to attach to one of the few “must pass” bills of this
session.
With $110 million per day in motor fuel tax revenues hanging
in the balance, it seems likely another band aid temporary extension is in the
offing until Congressional leaders put an end to their interminable deadlock
over unrelated legislative initiatives. Meanwhile, unemployment in the
construction industry remains at 17.7%, with no construction job promoting
legislative relief in sight. The Congressional Budget Office estimates failure
of a long term reauthorization with new revenue sources will bankrupt the Trust
Fund near the end of this fiscal year.
According to California Senator Barbara Boxer, 1.8 million
existing construction jobs and 1.0 million new construction jobs hang in the
balance, while Congress twiddles its thumbs.
