Congress is up to no good AGAIN!

Not only did Congress pass a bloated highway bill that continues to divert scarce highway funds to non-road purposes (like bike lanes, walking paths, transit, and rail), it also stuck in language giving the IRS the power to revoke your passport if you're behind on your taxes.

Congress used the highway bill, the FAST Act, to re-authorize the controversial corporate welfare scheme known as the Export-Import Bank and authorized $8 billion in subsidies to Amtrak. It's no wonder Americans are upset about the direction of the country.

 

After years of fighting toll lanes on I-35 through Austin, TxDOT finally relented and backed off its plan now that we've restricted all of its new funding to non-toll projects only. However, the Austin Mayor, Steve Adler, in a total disconnect, is pushing to add 'managed' toll lanes to I-35 anyway, despite no revenue source to pay for toll lanes. He wants it as a means to 'manage' congestion and force drivers out of their cars and into a bus or carpool.

However, there are no more toll viable projects in Texas. That means they already know they can't possibly collect enough toll fees to pay back the money they borrow to build it. So they have habitually abused taxpayers by dipping into gas taxes (and every other source of revenue available to TxDOT and the feds) to subsidize their loser toll projects and DOUBLE tax Texans to take a toll road paid for with their tax money.  

Well, the money available to subsidize has quickly dried up (thanks to our efforts in the legislature blocking Prop 1, Prop 7, and Texas Mobility Funds from going to toll roads). So it's unclear how Adler plans to fund toll lanes without tapping state funds. Gas taxes can still be used to subsidize toll projects, however, the Texas Transportation Commission under Abbott's new leadership is rethinking that policy and may rein in those funds, too.