After battling with President Bush for weeks over federal spending, congressional Democrats pared an earlier proposal and produced a $515.7-billion fiscal 2008 funding package for non-Defense agencies. The huge bill, which the House passed on Dec. 17 by a 253-154 vote, has $107.3 billion for 69 construction accounts, up $4.2 billion, or 4%, from enacted 2007 levels, according to Karen Bachman, Associated General Contractors’ government affairs director for environment, federal markets and procurement. But the gains are concentrated in highways and defense base closure and construction. At press time, the deal was not final: the White House vowed a veto unless the Senate adds $70 billion for the Iraq war.
Highways are a bright spot in the bill, with a 5% rise in the obligation limit, including a $1-billion boost to upgrade bridges, a response to the Aug. 1 Minnesota bridge collapse. There also is a separate $195 million to replace the fallen bridge. David Bauer, senior vice president for government affairs at the American Road and Transportation Builders Association, calls the transportation levels “very positive, given the nature of how the debate has unfolded.”