August 6, 2007 (LPAC)--Five New York congressmen, on Aug. 3, in the wake of the bridge disaster, sent a letter to President Bush demanding he rescind his veto threat and sign onto the just-passed transportation funding bill. "We hope you agree that the tragedy in Minnesota should be a reminder that our nation's transportation infrastructure is vital..." Nine days before the Minnesota bridge disaster, on July 23, the President sent a veto threat notice to the House of Representatives should they pass the $104.4 billion FY 2008 transportation and housing spending bill. Undaunted, the House passed it, by a vote of 268 to 153, the next day.

Freshman signer to the letter, Rep. Michael Acuri, in a press release calling for Bush to sign said, "It would be unconscionable for the President to veto critical investments in bridges and local transportation infrastructure." The other signers on the letter are Democratic Reps. Tim Bishop, Jerrold Nadler, Brian Higgins and John Hall.

The bill Bush threatens to veto, H.R. 3074, as passed in the House, provides highway programs $40.2 billion, an increase of $1.1 billion over 2007 funding level. The bill also funds aviation, public housing, and community development programs. Overall, as passed, it is $4.1 billion more than the president's request and $5.9 billion more than the fiscal 2007 appropriation. The bill has been sent to the U.S. Senate for consideration.