Republican Calls on Obama to Back Fuel Tax Hike
Journal of Commerce
Feb. 25, 2010
"Flanked by Democrats in a show of transportation bipartisanship, Sen. George Voinovich, R-Ohio, called Thursday for President Obama to back a highway spending plan with an increase in the federal fuel tax and warned he may not vote for a bill the White House does not fully support.
"'This administration has to get engaged,' Voinovich said. 'They are not, not one iota.'
"Voinovich has gained a higher profile on Capitol Hill over the past week after joining a handful of other Republicans in bucking party leadership by voting for a Democratic-backed jobs bill. He also spoke out forcefully this week for action on a transportation bill he said must include the first increase in the gas tax since 1993, something the administration says it will not support.
"'You’ve got to increase the gas tax,' he told a public meeting on transportation hosted by the Bipartisan Policy Center. 'The bottom line is you’ve got to increase the gas tax. The political clout is out there to do it. This is the right thing to do for the country.'"
