Obama Signs 3-Month Extension for Transportation Programs

President Barack Obama signed HR-4281, the Surface Transportation Extension Act of 2012, on March 30, 2012, which gives a three-month extension to surface transportation programs. Funding for transportation programs would have stopped as of March 31, 2012, without an extension. President Obama's office had voiced frustration over the passage of a stop-gap rather than a longer-term transportation bill that the Senate had already passed. It's not enough to use short-term band-aids to deal with America's infrastructure future, the President's office said. Rep. John Mica (R-Fl), chairman of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee and sponsor of the legislation, said the extension was necessary to keep transportation projects moving while lawmakers move toward legislation that reduces the size of government, streamlines the project approval process and provides flexibility for states to fund their priorities.