Daimler, Ge Take Their Appeal For Stimulus-bill Funds to Senate
Jockeying already has begun. The transit industry, which managed to get funding pushed up to $12 billion in the House measure, faces a proposal of $8.4 billion in the Senate. The Associated General Contractors of America, which represents construction companies such as Irving, Texas-based Fluor Corp., is seeking more for everything from highways to bridges.
“The focus is really going to be on the Senate,” said Brian Turmail, a spokesman for the Arlington, Virginia-based contractors group. “Weve got data to make the case, were out talking to members and their staff, sending letters, signing petitions and making phone calls.”
The package, being pushed by President Barack Obama, offers money that industries wouldnt otherwise get. Companies including Fairfield, Connecticut-based GE and construction- equipment maker Peoria, Illinois-based Caterpillar Inc. are almost certain to benefit. Others are depending on boosts in the Senate version and a favorable compromise once both chambers agree on final legislation.
The U.S. Telecom Association, whose members include AT&T Inc. and Verizon Communications Inc., is asking the Senate to approve money for Internet expansion with fewer strings attached. Consumer-advocacy groups such as Public Knowledge are fighting to preserve provisions that may require companies that build broadband networks to share them with competitors.
Mischief
“The one place where all the mischief can take place is behind closed doors in a conference,” said Art Brodsky, the communications director for Washington-based Public Knowledge, which is pushing to preserve so-called open-access provisions.
The American Public Transit Association, the trade group for rail and bus systems and companies such as Stuttgart, Germany-based Daimler and Levallois-Perret, France-based Alstom SA, are pushing senators to increase funding for their projects. The group plans to activate the same grassroots network of transit agencies, companies and environmental groups that won approval of an amendment in the House that helped increase the transportation sectors share.
“Everyones trying to demonstrate we have the ability to get the money out the door,” said Paul Dean, the Washington- based groups director of government relations. “Thats the case weve been making to Congress.”
Contractors
Associated General Contractors, whose members include engineering firm Barnhart Inc., a U.S. subsidiary of London- based Balfour Beatty Plc, had its lobbyists visiting Senate offices yesterday, a day after the House passed its measure.
In a conference call with its 95 chapters, Associateds leaders asked for letters, e-mails, phone calls and signatures on its online petition calling for more infrastructure spending. The group plans a Feb. 2 videoconference with its member companies.
While there is an emphasis on “shovel-ready” projects that are ready to go now, bigger, longer-term projects such as new bridges or improved highway interchanges offer the chance for longer-term employment, Turmail said. “The short-term projects are great for creating jobs immediately but the long- term projects tend to be more labor intensive,” he said.
Obama Pushes
Obama, 47, has said the stimulus package is required to help the U.S. economy, which lost 2.6 million jobs last year. The House passed a version drafted by Democrats on Jan. 28 on a 244-188 vote; no Republicans supported the measure.
The Senate version is already different in some ways; it contains more money for broadband expansion with a different set of terms. It also contains $70 billion for a temporary adjustment to the alternative minimum tax that would spare 30 million American households from a tax increase.
Spending, Tax Cuts
The 41 Senate Republicans have more power than their House colleagues to force changes in the package because of procedural rules. Some have criticized the proposal, contending it has too much spending and not enough tax cuts. Others want more focus on housing. The chamber is likely to begin work on the plan Feb. 2.
Telecommunications lobbyists and activists also are focusing on the Senate legislation and the negotiations that would follow passage to reconcile the versions passed by both chambers.
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