House Vote to Cut Off Funding for Bush’s Reckless NAFTA Trucks Program Is Important Step for Safety

Statement of Joan Claybrook, President of Public Citizen

Nov. 14, 2007 -- "We are now one step closer to protecting the public from the Bush administration’s reckless rush to give Mexico-based trucks full access to U.S. roads.

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This evening’s overwhelming vote (270-147) by the House of Representatives to pass the final Department of Transportation (DOT) spending bill is also, ultimately, a vote to shut down the Bush administration’s dangerous “pilot program” for North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) trucks. The administration has time and time again flouted the clear intent of Congress that the public’s safety must be paramount in any decision to give NAFTA trucks unlimited access to U.S. roads. Now, Congress has drawn a line in the sand; the final version of the DOT spending bill passed tonight forbids taxpayer dollars from supporting this dangerous, ill-advised, so-called pilot program.

We applaud the House for its leadership, and we encourage the Senate to follow suit: Ignore the Bush veto threat and pass the DOT spending bill that de-funds the NAFTA trucks pilot program."

Source: Public Citizen