Thursday the House Appropriations Transportation-Treasury subcommittee approved by voice vote a $90 billion spending bill which cut the federal-aid highway program by nearly $1 billion from $35.7 billion. This figure is lower than the $37.9 billion the Senate authorized for highway programs, while the president recommended maintaining the $33.6 billion highways received for fiscal year 2004. The Federal Transit Administration had $17 million cut from the current level of $7.249 billion, and the New Starts Program was cut $286 million from the current level of $1.32 billion. House appropriators endorsed Bush’s proposal to cut Amtrak’s funding from $1.225 billion this year to $900 million. This is only half of what Amtrak sought.

House Minority Whip Steny H. Hoyer (D- Maryland) offered an amendment that was adopted to the Transportation-Treasury spending bill by voice vote limiting the outsourcing of government jobs. This amendment, which would bar the privatization of many government jobs, is opposed by the Bush administration, which has made privatizing government jobs a top priority. Ernest Istook (R-Oklahoma), the Chairman of the Appropriations Subcommittee on Transportation also opposed the amendment and hopes to remove the provision on the House floor. Hoyer’s amendment is similar to a provision in last year’s Transportation-Treasury bill that was watered down when faced with the threat of a veto.