White House ‘strongly supports’ Senate transportation, housing bill (The Hill)

The Hill
(7/23/2013 1:27 PM, Keith Laing)

The White House on Tuesday said President Obama "strongly supports" a $54 billion budget for the departments of Transportation and Housing and Urban Development under consideration by the Senate.

The statement comes a day after the White House issued a veto threat for the House’s $44 billion version of the bill, arguing that it cut too much funding for infrastructure.

The White House said the Senate’s version of the bill (S. 1243) "makes important investments in transportation infrastructure that will help to fix America’s crumbling roads and bridges and upgrade and modernize the infrastructure that is so vital to the nation’s economic security and long-term growth."

"The bill also recognizes how important housing is to a sense of security for the American people," the White House said. "This bill continues to provide critical housing assistance to America’s families, supports economic development in local communities, and contributes to the nation’s ongoing housing recovery."

The statement was starkly different than the White House’s response to the House’s version of the bill that provides funding for the departments of Transportation and Housing and Urban Development (H.R. 2610).

The White House said the House’s version of the bill "severely undermines critical investments in economic and community development programs that drive local innovation, while also significantly reducing resources for public improvements, air traffic control infrastructure, affordable housing, as well as public services for low- to moderate-income families.

"If the president were presented with H.R. 2610, his senior advisers would recommend that he veto the bill," the White House said of the House version of the bill.