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me lawmakers say they won't go along with another Band-Aid fix. That could set the stage for a partisan standoff like the one that caused a partial shutdown of the Federal Aviation Administration last summer and forced the temporary layoff of tens of thousands workers in construction-related jobs. Adding to the pressure: The federal Highway Trust Fund, which pays for highway and transit programs, is going broke, http://www.tomsoutletsalecheap.com - tomsoutletsalecheap.com . A new Congressional Budget Office forecast estimates the government will have to delay payments to states beginning sometime in the 2013 federal budget year, which could force some projects to shut down. Democrats said Republicans, who control the House, denied them input into the bill and are trying to flatline transportation spending when more money is needed, http://www.dellsz.cn/bbs/viewthread.php?tid=686728&extra=page%3D1&frombbs=1 - http://www.dellsz.cn/bbs/viewthread.php?tid=686728&extra=page%3D1&frombbs=1 . "It signals a retreat from creating greater transportation opportunities," said Rep. Nick Rahall of West Virginia, http://bbs.mmluofeiyu.com/forum.php?mod=viewthread&tid=602648&extra= - http://bbs.mmluofeiyu.com/forum.php?mod=viewthread&tid=602648&extra= , the panel's senior Democrat. Mica defended the bill as "the most dramatic overhaul and reform to (transportation) programs since the beginning of the interstate system" five decades ago. Among other things, the bill would consolidate more than 100 programs into about 30, http://www.fenfangzi.com/thread-224925-1-1.html - http://www.fenfangzi.com/thread-224925-1-1.html , and take away much of the federal government's leverage over how states spend highway and transit aid. Those are long-sought conservative goals, but it's not enough for the Club for Growth, a free-market, anti-tax group influential with tea-party Republicans, http://www.cheaptomsshoessalei.com - cheaptomsshoessalei.com . In an email this week, the club alerted House members that it opposes the bill because it spends too much money and vowed to include the bill as a key vote in its congressional scorecard, http://www.cheaptomsshoessalei.com - cheap toms shoes . With the bill likely to get few if any Democratic votes, Republican leaders can't afford to lose very many GOP votes on the right if they hope to pass it. Republicans have said they plan to fully pay for the $50 billion-plus gap between trust fund revenues and spending over the life of their bill, but they've been unclear where that money will come from. They've proposed using revenue from opening oil and gas drilling along the East and West Coasts, portions of the gulf coast of Florida and portions of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. Democrats, citing CBO estimates of previous drilling proposals, say that will at best produce $5 billion over 10 years. Republicans dispute that, but haven't offered their own estimate. And even if driving picks up along with the economy, it's unlikely to solve the funding crisis because cars are getting better gas mileage. A companion measure to pay for the transportation bill was posted online by Republicans on Thursday, but it wasn't specific about where the money will come from, either. One draft GOP financing plan would eliminate an agreement in place since the Reagan administration that apportions gas-tax revenues between highway and transit programs. Currently, 2.86 cents of the 18.4 cents-per-gallon federal gas tax goes to transit programs such as buses, subways and commuter rail lines. Eliminating that dedicated source of funds and replacing it with a one-time transfer of funds, as the GOP
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