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May 6, 2005 8:16 AM

A Senate proposal to increase funding for the highway bill now under consideration has prompted criticism from Norman Mineta, Transportation Secretary.

"There is a dark cloud looming that will needlessly delay many important highway and transportation projects around the country and force consumers to pay more at the pump at exactly the worst possible time," Mineta said in a news release May 5. "This threat is a Senate proposal expected to be debated next week which would bankrupt the Highway Trust Fund by increasing spending based on accounting gimmicks."

President Bush has said he will veto any bill that increases spending beyond $284 billion in the six-year proposal.

“Offering American taxpayers an artificially inflated six-year highway, transit and safety authorization bill means promising to spend money that doesn’t exist," Mineta said.

The House and the Senate's Committee on Environment and Public Works earlier approved the $284 billion funding, and the bill has now moved to the Senate floor for consideration.

The Senate is not set to meet again until May 9 when it has scheduled consideration on the bill for 2 pm.

To see a summary of the bill and its current status, click here.