Bush administration remains firm on transportation spending plan

Bush administration remains firm on transportation spending plan    The Bush administration warned Congress not to expand the size of its blueprint for a multiyear authorization bill for surface transportation programs, saying President Bush would veto any bill that raised the price tag or clouded the true cost of infrastructure enhancements.
   The administration’s budget calls for $256 billion over six years for the Safe Accountable Flexible and Efficient Transportation Equity Act of 2003.
   In a strongly worded statement, Department of Transportation Secretary Norman Mineta reiterated the administration’s position against any increase in gas or other federal taxes, or the use of bonds to fund infrastructure spending, and that highway spending should be financed from the Highway Trust Fund, not the general fund.
   “If a surface transportation reauthorization bill that breaches any of these three principles were presented to the president, his senior advisors would recommend that he veto the bill. The administration’s proposal gets the job done, without raising taxes or increasing the deficit,” Mineta said.