Transportation coalition rebukes lawmakers for public transit cut

A major transportation coalition chided a House committee Friday for passing transportation legislation that eliminates some money for public transit systems. 

The House Ways and Means Committee voted 20-17 to pass H.R. 3864, the American Energy and Infrastructure Jobs Financing Act of 2012. The legislation, which contains the appropriations that will be laid out by the American Energy and Infrastructure Act (H.R. 7), takes away the 2.86 cents of the federal gas tax that normally goes to public transportation and removes the Mass Transit trust fund, the Transportation for America coalition stated.

“The late-hour move to revoke a promise to transit riders made under President Ronald Reagan is surely a historical low point in transportation policy-making in this country,” director James Corless said in a statement. “It was clear from the debate that most committee members were given very little time or information to help them understand the implications of such a precipitous move.”

Friday’s vote of the Ways and Means Committee followed a marathon debate over the transportation package between Democrats and Republicans on the House Infrastructure Committee that started Thursday morning and spilled over into Friday. 

Corless said the sentiment against the public transit provisions of the legislation was bipartisan, citing a letter signed by more than 600 organizations “in a matter of hours yesterday.”