Ideological Clash Over Transportation Bill

Ashley Halsey III of The Washington Post reports: "Mica's goal is to match spending to the revenue that flows into the Highway Trust Fund, primarily from the federal gas tax. He said he believes that could provide $35 billion for each of six years, which can be leveraged into $75 billion a year."

She continues, "Mica says the more-than-doubling of the available funds can be achieved by encouraging public-private construction projects, consolidating or eliminating about 70 federal programs, helping fund state infrastructure and streamlining federal requirements to speed completion of projects."

Characterizing the Mica bill as "fantasy funding," the Democrats support a two-year blueprint that calls for a $115 billion investment in transportation infrastructure. "We need $87 billion just to maintain the existing transit system, just to maintain the existing highways and bridges in this country," says Peter DeFazio (D-Ore.) in the article.