AASHTO Journal, 22 June 2012
The House Committee on Appropriations passed a $51.6 billion (discretionary total) fiscal year 2013 Transportation, Housing and Urban Development funding bill on Wednesday, clearing another hurdle on its way to a full House vote.
H.R. 5972 (or Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2013) was released to the public earlier this month and showed spending totals that matched those in the Senate’s bill (see related story: bit.ly/AJhouseapprops). House appropriators recommended $39.1 billion in discretionary spending for highways next year, assuming a surface transportation bill is passed.
“This bill will help support a vibrant and safe transportation infrastructure, while making the difficult but necessary cuts needed to get our budgets back in balance,” said House Appropriations Chairman Hal Rogers in a statement. “It prioritizes programs responsibly, creating an environment that fosters job creation and funds important repairs and improvements, and ensuring access to affordable housing options.”
The White House issued a statement on Thursday stating, “If the President were presented with H.R. 5972, his senior advisers would recommend that he veto the bill.” The statement cited cuts to TIGER grants and the lack of funding for high-speed rail as major problems with the bill. The White House statement is available at bit.ly/WHpolicystatement.
The House’s 153-page bill is available at 1.usa.gov/2012housetransp.