Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell said Tuesday he opposes $150 million in proposed federal cuts for Metro, even as he said he backed the goals of House Republicans to trim federal spending. The Republican-controlled U.S. House of Representatives is pushing about $61 billion in spending cuts, including $150 million in federal funding – matched by $50 million each from D.C., Maryland, and Virginia – for Metro safety and infrastructure improvements.
| In Richmond Tuesday |
| — The Virginia House of Delegates killed the extension of a hotel surcharge that would generate money used to promote tourism efforts in Arlington County. Del. Tim Hugo, R-Fairfax, had previously held up a version of the bill, saying that if Arlington had enough money to spend on its lawsuit over proposed High-Occupancy Toll (HOT) lanes — which it has now dropped — they didn’t need the cash that would come from the tax. |
| — The Virginia Senate approved a constitutional amendment that would limit eminent domain powers of government to take private property for public use, a key component of the GOP agenda for the 2011 session. |
| — The Virginia House also approved measures to make striped bass the official salt water fish of Virginia and allow people to bring their own wine into restaurants. |
McDonnell was asked on WTOP radio Tuesday what he was doing to help restore the funding.
“Well, first of all, I fully support the Republican House’s efforts to try to rein in federal spending and federal debt; it’s an unsustainable and immoral level of spending,” he said. “[The] president dropped the ball in his budget.”
McDonnell went on to say, though, that Metro funding is an area that he would not like to see cut, and that he intends to let the Virginia Congressional delegation know as much.
McDonnell also repeated his position that the state of Virginia should have representation on the Metro Board; four local officials currently represent the state on the 14-member board. A Virginia Senate committee killed a bill that would have given his administration an appointee this week.
That long-running issue began last June, when McDonnell threatened to withhold Virginia’s $50 million share unless he could appoint two members to the board.
But the most recent funding flap surfaced last week when the House rejected an amendment from U.S. Rep. Gerry Connolly, D-Va., to restore $150 million for Metro safety and infrastructure improvements.
The governor is still working on a letter to send to Congress asking them to restore the funding, according to spokesman Jeff Caldwell.
But with his consistent criticism of what he calls unsustainable levels of federal spending and debt, McDonnell is faced with a dilemma as head of a state that relies heavily on federal dollars and contractors to drive its economy.
“The issue of federal spending can become a challenging one for Republicans in Virginia, because a substantial portion of federal dollars fund [activities] in Virginia,” said longtime Virginia political analyst Bob Holsworth.
“For McDonnell, he’s walking a fine line,” he said. The governor supports shaving government spending, Holsworth said, but “on the other hand recognizes that Metro is tremendously important to the transportation needs of Northern Virginia.”
