Barbara Boxer
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AFL-CIO and Chamber of Commerce Ask For a Gas Tax Hike; Senators Agree
Against all odds, in a time of high unemployment and Republican attacks on spending, momentum may finally be building for a gas tax increase.
February 16, 2011
Barbara Boxer Commends Obama’s Long-term Transpo Plan
As Chair of the Senate Committee on the Environment and Public Works, Barbara Boxer may be the single most important voice on the future of Obama administration's six-year transportation proposal. And yesterday, the California Democrat gave her qualified endorsement to the President's transformative plan.
February 15, 2011
Senate Committee Backs Infrastructure Spending (But Not For Bike Lanes)
“We need to take care of this sooner than later,” Sen. Barbara Boxer said this morning in reference to a surface transportation reauthorization. “We can’t keep doing extension after extension.”
January 26, 2011
Sen. Boxer: Working With Mica, Inhofe on a Long-Term Transpo Bill
Senator Barbara Boxer told reporters today that she had an "excellent", “wonderful” meeting with Rep. John Mica (R-FL), the new chair of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure. She confirmed that they're working on a "longer-term" transportation bill and have come up with many points of agreement. We'll let you know more details about that meeting as we get them.
January 6, 2011
Senate Vote Will Give GOP a Crack at the Transpo Bill Sooner
A few weeks ago, members of the House threw up their hands and voted for a year-long extension of the 2010 budget. It included an extension of the transportation reauthorization. The Senate didn't vote on it in time, so then the House voted for a three-day extension to give the Senate a few more days after the current extension expired.
December 21, 2010
Why Reformers Should Care How We Pay for Transportation
TIFIAs and TIGERs and NIBs -- oh my! The alphabet soup of infrastructure funding mechanisms can be alienating even to committed transportation advocates. But with the power of the gas tax diminishing and elected officials refusing to raise it, other financing options are taking on increasing importance. If you're interested in reforming our transportation system for the 21st Century, it pays to know the differences between them.
December 6, 2010
Barbara Boxer Questions Need for Infrastructure Bank
California Democrat Barbara Boxer, chair of the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works, expressed skepticism about one of the centerpieces of President Obama's infrastructure plan today. As she tries to stave off an election challenge from the right, Boxer seems reluctant to embrace the creation of a national infrastructure bank to finance transportation projects.
September 28, 2010
Boxer Aims to Put TIGER-Type Program in Next Federal Transport Bill
During an otherwise-abbreviated hearing yesterday, Senate environment committee chairman Barbara Boxer (D-CA) joined the chorus of praise for the stimulus law's TIGER program, declaring her intention to add a version of the competitive infrastructure grants to the next long-term federal transportation bill.
March 25, 2010
Senate Climate Bill Invests Big in Transit, Reaps Big Deficit Reduction
As the Copenhagen climate talks reach a turning point, congressional negotiations over emissions cuts are taking a back seat to global debate. But some undeniably good news on the domestic front came late yesterday from the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office.
December 17, 2009
Boxer Okays Senate Climate Bill, Without Amendments or GOP
The Senate environment committee approved its climate change bill today on a 10-1 vote, shrugging off a boycott by all of the panel's Republicans but missing out on the chance to consider amendments to the lengthy legislation.
November 5, 2009