Dubya May Use First Veto on Highway Bill

George W. Bush has yet to veto any legislation passed by Congress. In part, this is the result of the GOP holding both ends of Pennsylvania Avenue. And it is also due to the deference Congress had toward the war-time leader in the run up to the elections of 2002 and 2004. With the new highway and mass transit bill, though, the Senate has tempted a veto by spending more than the $284 billion the White House will permit over six years. The situation illustrates the genius of the Constitution -- the opposition to the president needn't be the other party; it can be his own in Congress.

Now, the Senate version of the bill, which would spend $295 billion over six years, and the House version of the bill have to be reconciled in conference committee. There, it is likely that the Senate will yield on the $11 billion Mr. Bush wants removed from the final draft. A veto would show a divided GOP that might lead some to suggest makes Mr. Bush a lame duck. That is not desirable according to the GOP leaders, and so, the showdown may well be avoided.

However, the difficulty for the GOP lies in the distinct political demands made on the senators and on the president. For his part, the president is committed to cutting the deficit in half (from $450 billion or so to $225 billion or thereabouts) before he leaves office in January 2009. The senators have constituents who drive to work or the mall on rapidly rotting roads, sit in traffic jams, and have limited access to pubic transportation except in the biggest of cities. Senator James Inhofe (R-OK), chairman of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, was not exaggerating when he said, "This is a matter of life and death that we get a bill." Whether it's the $295 billion or the $284 billion bill, something needs doing.

In theory, the Senate should just cave in and give the president what he wants. He is, after all, the president and leader of the Republican Party which controls both houses of congress. And yet, Americans may not accept that the deficit is more important than roads. Government may provide goods and services that the private sector can do better, but transportation infrastructure is almost always best done as a public monopoly.

Interestingly, a study by the Texas Transportation Institute came out on Monday that found in 2003 (and things haven't improved) Americans lost 3.7 billion hours in travel delay. Some 2.3 billion gallons of fuel got wasted idling in traffic jams. The whole mess cost the nation $63 billion in lost economic activity and waste. It's hard to believe that American voters and commuters will care if the budget deficit is $11 billion smaller (spread over six years) and would much rather have a quicker trip to work. Loyalty to the party or loyalty to the voters is an amusing choice.


© Copyright 2005 by The Kensington Review, J. Myhre, Editor. No part of this publication may be reproduced without written consent.
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