White House Threatens to Veto Highway Bill

White House Threatens to Veto Highway Bill

Wednesday March 31, 2004 1:46 AM


By JIM ABRAMS

Associated Press Writer

WASHINGTON (AP) - The White House on Tuesday threatened to veto a massive House highway spending bill, rejecting efforts by House GOP leaders to find common ground between the administration's demand for fiscal discipline and lawmaker pleas for more road-building money.

The White House statement came on the eve of House debate on a six-year $275 billion highway and transit bill that House Speaker Dennis Hastert, R-Ill., played a major role in crafting and which many Republicans, as well as Democrats, see as a major job creator.

The administration is also on record as threatening to veto a $318 billion version of the bill that the Senate approved last month.

The White House faulted the House bill for failing to exercise the needed spending restraint, saying that, with contracts going beyond the six years, it would authorize $284 billion, $28 billion above the $256 billion the administration says is appropriate.
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http://www.guardian.co.uk/uslatest/story/0,1282,-3922064,00.html

Its fine to authorize a couple hundred billion dollars for a war based on weak evidence at best but when it comes to maintaining our infrastructure that is vital to our nation's health we should show retraint...

It will make a great debate topic and campaign commercial for Kerry!