I think she should take the bus.
Funding for a railroad project near House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s California district that was labeled a waste by Republicans was removed Tuesday from President Biden’s $ 1.9 trillion COVID-19 stimulus bill.
The Senate MP ruled that the $ 140 million allotment was not allowed under the so-called Byrd rule of auditing unrelated items in budget reconciliation accounts.
Republicans cited the railroad project as an example of unrelated “pork” in the bill, which is being rammed by Congress without Republican backing using special rules that allow a simple majority vote in the Senate.
On Tuesday, Senator John Barrasso (R-Wyo.) Ridiculed the project as Pelosi’s “tunnel of love” in anticipation of an expected vote on the package later this week.
Representatives from Pelosi, representing San Francisco, had defended the project, saying mass passenger numbers plummeted during the pandemic, making it reasonable to increase government spending.
The Senate MP has now ruled that the BART extension from San Jose to Santa Clara does not meet the requirements of the Byrd rule because it is part of a pilot project. Therefore, it will be removed from the reconciliation package, ”said Pelosi spokesman Drew Hammill.
A separate $ 1.5 million allotment for the Seaway International Bridge between Massena, New York and Canada will also be removed, he said.
The Senate MP previously blocked Democrats from including a federal minimum wage hike of up to $ 15 an hour in the bill.
Hammill defended the original inclusion of the railway funds.
“COVID-19 had an immediate and overwhelming effect on all of our transportation systems and the millions of transportation and construction jobs that came with it,” he said.
“As part of its $ 30 billion in public transportation support, the House has raised $ 1.425 billion to help dozens of major rail capital projects, including the BART expansion from San Jose to Santa Clara.”