DeFazio says gasoline tax renewal at end of Sep. to be next blackmail showdown with GOP

[Poll_Blind]

From Platts:

In a US Congress where trench warfare ensues over every must-pass piece of legislation, the next battle could come over renewing the federal gasoline tax, which expires at the end of September.

After a formerly routine extension of the law authorizing the Federal Aviation Administration turned into a three-week standoff over federal labor laws, it is likely House Republicans will try a similar strategy over extending the gasoline tax and other federal highway programs, a key House Democrat said in an interview late last week.

"The Republicans will use the expiration of the program and the tax... for some sort of leverage or further blackmail," Representative Peter DeFazio of Oregon said. DeFazio is the top Democrat on the House Transportation Subcommittee on Highways and Transit. "If the ultra-right prevails, it has already been rumored they would end the gas tax, which would mean no more surface transportation trust fund."

The 18.4 cents/gal federal gasoline tax is the primary funding source for the federal Highway Trust Fund, which Washington funnels back to states to pay for road maintenance and construction. The fund has generated about $22 billion in receipts so far in fiscal 2011, compared to a total $32 billion for all of FY 2010, according to the Federal Highway Administration. The fund had a balance of $17.3 billion as of the end of June, including a $15 billion infusion from the general treasury last year to make up for a shortfall in the account.

--snip--

Much more at the link.

PB

[Ruby the Liberal]

1. Crude is now trading under $80

Not that it will matter to the bumper sticker mentality. They hear "tax" and quit listening. Good luck telling them what that money is used for...

[stevedeshazer]

2. DeFazio is probably right.

He usually is.

These teabaggers will stop at nothing.

They hate Obama so much that they're willing to cut off transportation and infrastructure repairs completely, not to mention all the safety folks.

They'll vote to allow Mexican trucks to drive in the U.S. without safety inspection.

The Teabaggerrati is a cult religion. It doesn't recognize the consequences of it's actions.

[Poll_Blind]

3. This scorched-earth policy of the GOP is starting to make...

...Bush's changes to America seem like just the beginning of something far more sinister than I would have ever allowed myself to imagine.

PB

[FarCenter]

4. Platts is owned by McGraw Hill, the owners of S&P

[Poll_Blind]

5. And yet DeFazio is owned by _nobody_

Been voting for the man for 15 years, since he ran for senator against Wyden. He's the real deal.

PB

[FarCenter]

6. Do Blue states actually get their share back from federal gas taxes?

Or would they be better off letting the federal tax expire and raising state taxes?

Continued investment in highways and highway bridges would seem to be a bad investment because global oil production is flat and will decline significantly over the next two decades, making gasoline unaffordable for most in the US.