Bond Calls on Administration to Provide Blueprint to Drive Transportation Policy

Press Release

U.S. Senator Kit Bond, Ranking Member of the Senate Transportation, Housing and Urban Development Appropriations Subcommittee today called on Department of Transportation (DOT) Secretary Ray LaHood to provide Congress and the American people with a detailed, transparent blueprint for how transportation dollars will be spent to reach our nation's transportation goals. Bond also urged the Administration to bring much needed transparency to the billions of dollars they want to earmark for specific projects.

"With a $12 trillion-dollar and growing deficit, we can't just throw federal funds at projects willy-nilly," Bond told the Secretary. "Instead of a serious plan to tackle our nation's transportation policy challenges, the Administration is repeating last year's mistakes. There are many difficult transportation challenges facing our nation, but refusing to deal with them or putting off the tough choices is not responsible governing."

During the hearing, Bond pointed out that transportation spending is a proven job creator. In this economic climate, investing in transportation infrastructure will build not only bridges and roads, but help to rebuild our economy. Bond stressed, however, that we need a clear, coherent, and detailed blueprint detailing how taxpayer dollars will be spent to reach our transportation infrastructure goals. Unfortunately, the Administration's proposed budget contains no real blueprint to drive our nation's transportation policy. The Senator expressed serious concerns that instead, the Administration's budget shows a lack of realistic decision making -- with no broad reauthorization proposals or solutions to our transportation challenges like the highway trust fund and mass transit account -- both of which will again this year have to be funded with general revenue in order to avoid bankruptcy. Bond expressed similar concerns to the Secretary in a hearing last June.

In addition to the looming insolvency facing the highway trust fund and mass transit account, Bond pointed out that the Administration failed to provide Congress with a National Rail Plan for the $10.5 billion already appropriated. Yet, the Administration is asking for another $1 billion in rail funding this year. Additionally, Bond called into question a request for $4 billion to fund the National Infrastructure Finance Fund, which last year was referred to as the National Infrastructure Bank. Bond pointed out that while the name may have changed, the lack of details and specific legislative language as to what this funding will be used for, has remained the same.

The Senator reminded Secretary LaHood that the Department of Transportation must be held accountable to Congress and the American taxpayer when they award of billions of dollars in transportation grants. Bond urged the Administration to shine much needed sunlight on this process. To ensure these Administration earmarks are done in a more transparent, accountable way, Bond recommended common sense proposals, including: posting on the internet grants that are applied for by communities and state; posting on the internet cost shares and the leveraging of funds; notifying Congress of award decisions 3 days prior to public announcement, with back up material and information on the methodology of award selections, including information on how the selected projects fit into our nation's transportation goals. In a letter last month, Bond asked the Government Accountability Office to look into DOT's distribution of billions of dollars in these Administration earmarks.

"Where is Congress' role in deciding how these tax dollars will be spent," Bond asked. "Why should all of the decisions about spending our scarce federal resources be made by unelected and unaccountable bureaucrats? And, equally important, where is the transparency in the process?"

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