Rep. Mica slams President Obama's transportation budget

The $3.8 trillion budget unveiled this week by President Obama is heading in the wrong direction when it comes to transportation, the chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee said.

Rep. John Mica (R-Fla.) said Obama's budget proposal, which includes a recommendation that Congress spend $476 billion on a new surface transportation bill over the next six years, "follows the same old pattern of spending more and getting less for hard-earned taxpayer dollars."

Mica said Obama's budget proposal should have instead endorsed the transportation bill that will likely be voted on this week by the House, a plan that spends $260 billion over five years. 

“The president needs to get behind the Republican transportation bill that accomplishes more with less through significant reforms including cutting in half the time it takes to complete major infrastructure projects," the longtime Florida lawmaker said in a statement released by his office. 

“Rather than emphasize more deficit spending, from whatever source, the president’s focus should change to making transportation programs and projects more efficient and cutting the red tape that has left even his transportation stimulus money still stuck in federal coffers," Mica continued. "One-third of his infrastructure stimulus money is still in Washington, three years after its passage, but he proposes more. The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results."

In speech outlining the details of his overall budget proposal, Obama said it was important to keep investing in the fragile U.S. economy.

"At a time when our economy is growing and creating jobs at a faster clip, we've got to do everything in our power to keep this recovery on track," he said.

Mica countered that the GOP transportation bill (H.R. 7) "establishes a blueprint for job creation, is responsibly paid for, and includes no earmarks, tax increases or deficit spending."

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