Line in the sand

The word on the street is, the White House is standing firm that any TEA-21 reauthorization bill exceeding $284 billion will be vetoed. Representatives of highway interests, including
NSSGA, were called to the White House last week to meet with Secretary of Transportation Norman Mineta and White House Chief of Staff Andrew Card to discuss the bill. While the White House was looking for support for their position, many senators have already staked their claim to a $295 billion bill. Of course, senators could flip flop, like Senate majority Leader Bill Frist did just this week on the John Bolton up-or-down vote issue, but at this point, there is enough support in the Senate to override any veto. I stand by my position: any six-year bill that falls short of $300 billion is woefully insufficient. If the final bill is $295, it had better contain a re-opener. Your comment?