Federal Funding's Late Arrival Chokes Transit

A year-long deadlock between the White House and Congress over how much to spend on transportation during the next six years is starting to cause havoc in Michigan public transit systems. State transit agency leaders said the inability to renew the law on schedule is causing long delays in receiving federal funding to replace old equipment, add routes, and extend hours of service for thousands of state riders. The dispute reflects not only the need to begin closing the largest budget deficit in the nation’s history, but also a deep divide about how the United States ought to grow.