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(Washington, D.C.) — The House is considering passage of the Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users, (H.R. 3550) that will provide funding for surface transportation infrastructure improvements and safety programs throughout the country. President Bush submitted a six-year $256 billion funding proposal, and threatened to veto any legislation passed by Congress over that amount. Initially, the House requested $375 billion, but this number was eventually whittled down to $275 billion. Nonetheless, the current version is full of pork, including 2,800 projects costing $11 billion. Hopefully, the President will follow through with his threat and exercise his veto power until the bill is pork free. The following is a sampling of the pork projects included in the bill:
-$8,000,000 to replace the Edward N. Waldvogel viaduct in Ohio;
-$3,000,000 for a riverwalk project with a continuous river-edge walkway creating a system of parks in downtown Montgomery, Ala.;
-$1,500,000 for the construction of pedestrian streetscape improvements on Ocean Boulevard and Anaheim Street
in Long Beach, Calif., including lighting, landscaping, irrigation, seating, drinking fountains, bicycle racks and trash receptacles;
-$1,500,000 for the Rocky Knob Appalachian Heritage Center for a feasibility study and design, site acquisition for trail system and visitors center on the Blue Ridge Parkway in Va.;
-$750,000 to enhance existing directional markers and increase wayfinding signage infrastructure in Monroe County, Pa.;
-$250,000 for Applachian traditions for the construction of outdoor facilities along the Music Heritage Trail in Josephine, Va.;
-$250,000 to construct the Crawford Museum of Transportation and Industry at Aviation High School in Cleveland, Ohio; and
-$134,917 for historic preservation of a city bus station in downtown Eastman, Texas.
Citizens Against Government Waste is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization dedicated to eliminating waste, fraud, mismanagement and abuse in government.
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