Policy Briefs

Congress Relies on Billions from Treasury in Transportation Reauthorization

A quick note: This analysis is based upon best available data at the time it was written. As of this posting (6:20pm), the final...

Senate Ag Committee: More is Less

(Originally published June 8, 2012) With debate on the 2012 Farm Bill underway on the Senate Floor, proponents of this nearly trillion...

Why Transportation Reauthorization Negotiations Are Failing: The Pay-fors Just Don’t Add Up

Congress continues to meet behind closed doors in a Conference Committee to hash out the details of a transportation bill...

House to seek another extension for transportation program

House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chairman Mica (R-FL) introduced H.R. 4239 yesterday; a “clean” extension to the...

Backdoor Earmarks? Slush-y Funds in the Corps of Engineers Budget

(February 8, 2012 | 3:00 p.m.) Below is a chart detailing the number of projects that receive funding in the Corps 2012 Work Plan that...

The Nation’s Transportation Trust Funds

The nation’s transportation system — highways, transit lines, aviation, waterways, and ports — is largely supported by a series of...

Analyzing Transportation Provisions in Mini-Bus Appropriations Bill

House and Senate negotiators have released a final version of the so-called "mini-bus" appropriations bill that will roll three funding...

Transportation Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (TIFIA) Loan Program: Program Expansion Must Not Erode Taxpayer Protections

The Transportation Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (TIFIA) was adopted by Congress in 1998 to leverage federal resources and...

The Volumetric Ethanol Excise Tax Credit: History and Current Policy

The Volumetric Ethanol Excise Tax Credit (VEETC) is the largest subsidy to corn ethanol, the most common biofuel in the U.S. The tax...

The President’s FY2012 Proposed Cuts to Fossil Fuel Subsidies

In keeping with President Obama’s call to end fossil fuel subsidies, the latest budget proposal includes several significant cuts to oil,...

Engineering Boondoggles

While Washington is wringing its hands about the automatic across-the-board budget cuts known as...