Posted on 01/04/2008 2:48:57 PM PST by NormsRevenge
WASHINGTON - The Bush administration is going ahead with a controversial pilot program giving Mexican trucks greater access to U.S. highways despite a new law by Congress against it.
The decision to proceed with the four-month-old program, which allows participating Mexican trucking companies to send loads throughout the United States, comes despite language in the recently signed catchall spending bill aimed at blocking it.
But the Department of Transportation is taking advantage of a loophole in the new law, which prohibits the government from spending any money to "establish" the program. The government says the new rules don't apply to the current program since it was started in September.
"The U.S. Department of Transportation will not establish any new demonstration programs with Mexico," said Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration spokeswoman Melissa Mazzella DeLaney. "The current cross-border trucking demonstration project — established in September — will continue to operate in a manner that puts safety first."
Congressional opponents of the programs insist that it's clear what lawmakers were trying to do last year when both House and Senate voted against allowing the program to go forward.
The provision, as signed by President Bush last month, says: "None of the funds made available under this act may be used to establish a cross-border motor carrier demonstration program to allow Mexico-domiciled motor carriers to operate beyond the commercial zones along the international border between the United States and Mexico."
"They know what the law says," retorted Sen. Byron Dorgan, D-N.D., who won a 74-24 vote to block the program. "And they're not above the law." Dorgan warned they better follow the law.
The hotly contested program, opposed by labor, independent truck owners and environmental groups, permits up to 500 trucks from 100 Mexican motor carriers full access to U.S. roads.
Opponents have been fighting the measure — part of the 1994 North American Free Trade Agreement — since it was first proposed, saying the program will erode highway safety and eliminate U.S. jobs. And they say that there are insufficient safeguards exist to make sure that Mexican trucks are as safe as U.S. carriers.
"When you open up U.S. highways to long-haul Mexican trucks without equivalent safety standards, it poses risks for American drivers," Dorgan said.
Supporters of the plan say letting more Mexican trucks on U.S. highways will save American consumers hundreds of millions of dollars. And they say U.S. trucking companies will benefit since reciprocal changes in Mexico's rules permit U.S. trucks new access to that country.
Since 1982, Mexican trucks have had to stop within a buffer border zone and transfer their loads to U.S. trucks.
Still, there's widespread opposition to the program within Congress. The House voted without a roll call in July to block the program and the Senate's 3-to-1 margin in September to block it came despite administration assurances that safeguards are in place to "ensure a safe and secure program."
The Teamsters Union, Sierra Club and Public Citizen joined together in a lawsuit filed in August seeking to block the program.
A hearing is scheduled for Feb. 12 before the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco, Teamsters spokeswoman Leslie Miller said.
We better setup a road block on this one..... What the $#&^#$ is Bush thinking???? This is up there with his immigration and Dubai controlling our ports deals. We need to shoot this down quick....
Kinda smacks of a dictatorship when the enforcement branch of the government simply disregards the law making branch.
The ruck drivers I know say this is bad for them. Keeps wages low.
Seems like the Congresscritters deliberately did this.. created a ban, but with a loophole. They can go home to their peons and say “we tried” while knowing all along that Bush would go ahead anyway.
Do you really think it was an accident that the word establish was used?
This is the same congress that keeps passing legislation to build a border fence and then undermining or not funding the fence before it gets built.
Those words were used because much of congress wants to appear to oppose the Mexican truck program without actually stopping it from going forward.
Curses, foiled again! ROTFLMAO
BUMP
Kinda smacks of a dictatorship when the enforcement branch of the government simply disregards the law making branch.
—
Kind of makes one wonder why voting is even worth it when you see those charged to protect and defend the nation let it be overrun, both culturally and economically... and then you look at what wins primaries in the heartland..
January 2009 can’t get here fast enough..
What does it profit the nation to win the WoT only to lose the homeland thru backdoor means?
give credit where credit is due, nothing more.
Because the NAFTA trade agreement signed by president Clinton and ratified by the Senate dictates that this happens. Bush is following the law.
Treaty agteements supercede Federal law, always have.
Muchas gracias, Jorge! Por nada.
There go the truckers jobs. Bush = bozo the clown!
“What the $#&^#$ is Bush thinking????”
He’s obsessed with depressing wages in this country. He’s a traditional class warrior country clubber.
Rationalizes with various covers, such as “growth” and “globalism”.
The Federal Government is like the HAL9000 in A Space Odyssey and has turned on its masters. The solution is to deactivate it just like in the movie.
Impeach Bush! When President Bush does things that upset even many of his most loyal supporters, then he’s going too far politically! President Bush has definitely “jumped the shark” when he agrees to sign off on McCain’s “campaign finance reform” legislation, frequently agrees to “out of control government spending legislation” while the Republicans were still in the majorities in both Houses of Congress, allies himself with Senator Ted Kennedy on both education legislation and “amnesty for illegal immigrants” legislation, and completely ignores truly conservative politicians including ignoring both Rep. Tom Tancredo and Rep. Duncan Hunter on a variety of issues when both Tancredo and Hunter seriously want to personally and directly talk to President Bush on a variety of issues!
Impeach Bush! When President Bush does things that upset even many of his most loyal supporters, then he’s going too far politically! President Bush has definitely “jumped the shark” when he agrees to sign off on McCain’s “campaign finance reform” legislation, frequently agrees to “out of control government spending legislation” while the Republicans were still in the majorities in both Houses of Congress, allies himself with Senator Ted Kennedy on both education legislation and “amnesty for illegal immigrants” legislation, and completely ignores truly conservative politicians including ignoring both Rep. Tom Tancredo and Rep. Duncan Hunter on a variety of issues when both Tancredo and Hunter seriously want to personally and directly talk to President Bush on a variety of issues!
I didn’t think of that angle, but it makes perfect sense. Political posturing, top to bottom.
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