[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 52 (Thursday, March 26, 2009)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E784-E785]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




    TRANSPORTATION BUDGET AUTHORITY IN THE FY 2010 BUDGET RESOLUTION

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                         HON. JAMES L. OBERSTAR

                              of minnesota

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, March 26, 2009

  Mr. OBERSTAR. Madam Speaker, the Budget Resolution, as ordered 
reported last night by the House Committee on the Budget, provides a 
solid foundation for the surface transportation authorization act. I 
thank Chairman Spratt and the Committee on the Budget for their 
leadership and vigorous support for transportation and infrastructure 
programs.

[[Page E785]]

  If the Budget Resolution is applied over the six-year period from 
fiscal years 2010 to 2015, the Resolution assumes a base allocation of 
$324 billion for highway, highway safety, and transit programs, 
including $312 billion of contract authority. Importantly, this 
allocation restores $82 billion over the six-year period of highway 
contract authority that had been cut from the Congressional Budget 
Office baseline, which assumed fiscal year 2009 rescissions would recur 
in all future years.
  In addition, the Resolution establishes a Reserve Fund to allow this 
base allocation of $324 billion to be adjusted upward as necessary to 
accommodate higher funding levels to the extent they can be supported 
by the Highway Trust Fund.
  The Resolution also assumes the Airport Improvement Program is funded 
at $4.0 billion in FY 2010, $4.1 billion in FY 2011, and $4.2 billion 
in FY 2012, consistent with H.R. 915, the FAA Reauthorization Act of 
2009, as ordered reported by the Committee on Transportation and 
Infrastructure on March 5, 2009. This is an increase of $840 million 
over the baseline funding level for this program over the three-year 
period from FY 2010-2012.
  The Resolution rejects the Office of Management and Budget's proposal 
to change how programs funded by contract authority are treated for 
budget scoring purposes. This proposal, had it been adopted, would have 
converted the mandatory contract authority that currently funds our 
highway, highway safety, transit and airport grant programs to a simple 
authorization of appropriations for budget scoring purposes. I am 
pleased that the Budget Resolution continues to recognize the unique 
nature of trust-funded programs by rejecting this ill-advised proposal.

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