Today’s big story is about dysfunction in the US Senate and how it will impact transportation projects across the nation.
US Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood describes the situation as a political game.
I am sorry to report that DOT will furlough nearly 2,000 employees without pay Monday.
This means DOT must temporarily shut down highway reimbursements to states worth hundreds of millions of dollars. This means we must temporarily shut down national anti-drunk driving efforts. And this means we must shut down construction projects across the country–maybe in your state or your county–because federal inspectors won’t be able to do their jobs.
The shut down stems from Republican Senator Jim Bunning of Kentucky. He insists that federal transportation funding is not as important as the current budget deficit.
For more details about how Sen. Bunning is hurting local transportation projects, check out Transportation for America and Streetsblog.
Life must go on regardless of the politics surrounding the federal budget deficit. Our national parks are already hurting because of funding deficits from years past. Our Great Smoky Mountains National Park has just begun road projects that need to be completed in time for the surge in tourists. So get a grip and get these construction projects back on tract immediately!