NewsMax.com Wires
Wednesday, Dec. 5, 2001

The final version drew harsh criticism from Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., who said it was rife with unnecessary spending. "I recognize that there are very important provisions in the legislation, sections that appropriate funds for programs vital to the safety and security of the traveling public and our national transportation system all over," McCain said before the Senate approved the final version in a 97-2 vote.

"Yet despite the necessary funding, and the fact that the legislation is not in violation of NAFTA, it once again goes overboard on pork-barrel spending."

Although McCain backed his objection by voting against the bill, it received overwhelming support from both houses of Congress, including a 371-11 vote in the House.

The bill represents a compromise on several issues, most notably authorizing a section of the North American Free Trade Agreement that allows Mexican trucking companies access to U.S. highways.

McCain and Texas Republican Phil Gramm had originally led the fight for opening the system as required under NAFTA, despite strong objections from the Democrat leadership. Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., had tried to void that agreement, citing safety concerns and the effect on transportation and trucking unions. In the final compromise, the Mexican truck companies will have several months to get approved to enter the U.S. system, including equipment safety checks, licensing and other security measures. This drew McCain's unenthusiastic support for the trucking sections of the bill, but his objections to the spending measures led to his negative vote.

"This is a bittersweet victory for highway safety and free trade," McCain said. "On the one hand, the United States will be allowed to keep its promise to abide by its solemn treaty. Yet on the other hand, the egregious process of pork barrel earmarking continues. Unless you are from a state with a member on the Appropriations Committee, your state's transportation dollars most likely will be reduced by enactment of this bill, which in many cases redirects authorized funding programs for the sake of the home-state projects of the appropriators."

But Murray, who introduced the conference report in the Senate, said the bill pared $400 million in unnecessary spending from the original bill and lauded the increased safety measures for Mexican trucks.

Copyright 2001 by United Press International.

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