Lawmakers urge Obama to drop transportation plan

Forty-three House Democrats urged President Barack Obama on Wednesday to drop a plan they say will delay an increase in aid to highway and transit projects.

The Democrats, all members of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, said in a letter to Obama that they are "profoundly disappointed" with the president's plan to extend transportation funding at current levels for 18 months.

The lawmakers are backing a six-year, $500 billion bill that would increase highway aid 40 percent and double transit funding. That includes money that could be used for safety improvements like new railcars - an issue in this week's Washington subway train crash.

The House members had hoped the expiration of current transportation funding programs on Oct. 1 would force Congress to make tough decisions on how to pay for transportation programs.

A decline in driving due to the poor economy has reduced gas tax revenue, the main source of income for the federal Highway Trust Fund. The fund, which pays for highway and transit construction, is forecast to go broke on Aug. 21 unless Congress acts to make up the shortfall.

Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood has said the administration's proposed 18-month extension is necessary to keep transportation funds flowing to states and to give Congress time to pass a comprehensive bill.

LaHood has said the administration is open to suggestions on how to fund the extension - at an estimated cost of at least $13 billion - but opposes raising the gas tax in the current recession.