Stimulus Update: Senate Compromise Unlikely to Raid Transit Funds

According to a list posted by Politico, the Senate left transit funding untouched in the stim bill compromise brokered yesterday. For now, it appears safe to take a break from contacting your senators about this particular point of concern.

Whether it’s smart policy to trim the recovery package while the economy hemorrhages jobs is a different matter.

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A Senate amendment full of spending cuts would strip $3.4 billion in transit funding from the stimulus package, Greg Sargent reports. One of the few areas that might get a spending increase in the amendment is highways. The amendment, sponsored by Republican Susan Collins and Democrat Ben Nelson, is seen as a bipartisan compromise that […]

Tonight: PBS on Transit, States, and the Stimulus

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Senate Stimulus Action Leaves the Network Cold

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Final Stimulus Bill Slaps Transit Riders in the Face

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