Federal highway programs, and the fuel taxes that pay for them, will expire Sept. 30 unless Congress acts, and funds for road construction projects across the country would be held up.
Republicans used their weekly address to push for passage of a balanced budget amendment to the Constitution and attack Obama over his approach to job creation. Representative Bob Goodlatte, Republican of Virginia, complained that the administration has spent too much money on stimulus initiatives that did not work, while piling on burdensome regulations. - ASSOCIATED PRESS
Other news ■ Sarah Palin, looking and sounding like a presidential candidate at a Tea Party rally in Iowa, left chanting supporters without saying whether she will make a run for the White House.
“America is at a tipping point,’’ said Palin. “This is a systemic crisis due to failed policies and incompetent leadership.’’
The event at the Indianola Balloon Grounds south of Des Moines drew about 2,000 people. Palin, the 2008 Republican vice presidential nominee, outlined her proposals for job creation, saying she favors elimination of income taxes on corporations.
The former governor of Alaska, who will speak in New Hampshire tomorrow, has said she plans to announce her decision on a run by the end of September. (Bloomberg News)
■ Republican presidential candidate Rick Perry’s immigration record in Texas quickly became the focus in New Hampshire yesterday afternoon.
Speaking at a private reception, the Texas governor was asked whether he supported a fence along the Mexican border.
“No, I don’t support a fence on the border,’’ he said. “The fact is, it’s 1,200 miles from Brownsville to El Paso. Two things: How long you think it would take to build that? And then if you build a 30-foot wall from El Paso to Brownsville, the 35-foot ladder business gets real good.’’
Tea Party activists in Texas have been particularly upset by his steady opposition to the fence and by a law he signed giving illegal immigrants in-state tuition for Texas universities.
