House Republicans target Safe Routes to School program
Posted by Jonathan Maus (Publisher/Editor) on June 14th, 2010 at 11:59 am
House Republicans have listed the federal Safe Routes to School program as one of five examples of “wasteful spending” as part of their newly-launched “YouCut” campaign. The campaign puts five proposals out each week and asks the American people to vote on which ones they feel should be cut from the federal budget.
House Republican Whip Eric Cantor says the top vote-getter will be put toward a House vote to decide whether or not to cut its funding. Cantor points out in a video on the website, that over 280,000 people had voted in the first week alone.
Cantor’s YouCut website deems the Safe Routes to School program “duplicative” and says the government could save $183 million year by terminating it entirely. Instead, they feel the program should be a “local responsibility.” “Returning these responsibilities to state and local officials and removing federal mandates would generate savings for taxpayers.”
The League of American Bicyclists has responded by sending out an action alert to members. The League is urging Safe Routes supporters to contact their representatives to let them know the program has support.
NOTE: We love your comments and work hard to ensure they are productive, considerate, and welcoming of all perspectives. Disagreements are encouraged, but only if done with tact and respect. If you see a mean or inappropriate comment, please contact us and we'll take a look at it right away. Also, if you comment frequently, please consider holding your thoughts so that others can step forward. Thank you — Jonathan