Editorial: Paying for Safety and Security
President Bush’s proposed fiscal 2003 budget includes a hefty 8% increase for trucking safety, much of it aimed at preparing the nation’s southern border for the free entry of Mexican trucks into the United States.The new budget proposes giving the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration $371 million for the year, up from $345 million last year and $272 million in its first year of operation.
Included in the new budget are funds to hire 214 additional inspectors to increase safety at ports of entry along the Mexican border as part of a $61 million program.
The border is finally scheduled to open this year, long after the North American Free Trade Agreement called for the free passage of trucks
President Bush vowed to open the southern border after Mexico demanded that the United States live up to its treaty obligations, and after a Nafta arbitration panel warned that the United States could be subject to stiff penalties for refusing to do so.
In addition to the inspectors, the Federal Highway Administration would be given $47 million to build new inspection facilities at the southern border.
The proposal calls for FMCSA to spend $95 million on its motor carrier compliance reviews over the year. CRs are one of the agency’s most effective enforcement mechanisms.
Meanwhile, many other programs face deep cuts as the White House moves to pay for myriad security programs.
Federal highway spending would fall 26% under the budget plan, to $23.3 billion. Last year’s $31.8 billion highway spending budget was the highest in history.
However, there was a bipartisan move afoot in Congress last week to boost highway spending by dipping into trust fund reserves. Bush administration officials appeared cool to the move.
Interestingly enough, the $8.5 billion cut in federal aid to highways almost covers the $8.8 billion the Bush administration proposed to spend for transportation security.
The budget earmarks $4.8 billion for aviation-related security projects and $2.9 billion for maritime programs. All other modes, including trucking, would get $1.1 billion for security.
Compared with other parts of the transportation sector, FMCSA did well to get its 8% increase, in a year when billions in federal dollars are being shifted to security measures.
We can all expect a lively debate on Capitol Hill in coming weeks as the final budget gets ironed out.
This article appeared in the Feb. 11 print edition of Transport Topics. Subscribe today.
