Late last month, a distressed President Bush suffered a setback when the NAFTA provision to admit Mexican carriers to America's highways, one he vowed to honor, was threatened by actions inside the House of Representatives. House lawmakers working on the transportation spending bill for fiscal year 2002, voted 285-143 to cut funding from the DOT for processing permits that would allow Mexican carriers to truck in the United States.
This was, in effect, a one year delay in allowing Mexican trucks past the border zones. The House also stripped $88 million from the spending bill, requested by the president for beefing up Mexican truck inspectors and inspection sites.
This week, the task of hammering out the DOT spending bill moved to the Senate. In an effort to prevent the Senate from passing the same bill as the House, President Bush moved quickly to threaten a veto if lawmakers denied Mexican trucks greater access to U.S. highways. On Wednesday, Bush sent a letter to Senate Appropriations Committee Chairman Robert Byrd (D-WV) with a veto warning and a demand that $88 million be included in the bill for new border enforcement efforts.
On Thursday, the Senate Appropriations Committee saw Bush's $88 million and raised him $15 million more for border enforcement. They also adopted a proposal that would place many more conditions on the DOT and Mexican carriers before Mexican trucks are allowed in the country.
Transportation Subcommittee Chairperson Patty Murray (D-WA) proposed that the DOT perform an on-site safety audit of any Mexican trucking firm desiring access to the U.S. before granting it a conditional operating permit. In addition, the DOT's Inspector General must certify that fundamental and necessary actions have been taken to make sure U.S. safety standards are met. Other key provisions require inspection stations to be open 24 hours a day, compliance with all U.S. safety standards, and the creation of accurate and accessible databases to check driver/vehicle safety records.
-- by Sandi Soendker & Paul Cullen Jr.
