Another Fallen Bridge Unlikely to Spur Infrastructure Funding

iStockphoto/Thinkstock(WASHINGTON) -- It's almost as if Washington has seen this movie before: a bridge collapses, groups decry the nation's crumbling infrastructure and Congress does nothing.

Like the tragic Minneapolis, Minn. bridge collapse in 2007 that came before it, Thursday's Mount Vernon, Washington collapse is unlikely to spur Congress to pour hundreds of billions of dollars into fixing roads and bridges.

The political inertia in Washington around transportation funding and projects hasn't eased despite President Obama's nearly constant push for additional funding.

In February, Obama renewed his nearly annual call for $50 billion in additional transportation and infrastructure spending as part of his 2014 budget request. But Republicans said the proposal amounted to an unfunded wish list.

To be sure, Congress did pass a highway transportation funding bill last year, but infrastructure spending advocates say it's simply not enough. The bill allocated just enough money to keep transportation spending at status quo levels and it only funded projects for two years, as opposed to the usual five or six.

So how much is enough?

For roads and bridges alone, the Federal Highway Administration estimates that every year $190 billion would need to be infused into the system compared to the $103 billion currently being spent.

When you take into consideration all of the country's infrastructure, the American Society of Civil Engineers says that about $3.6 trillion is needed by 2020 to fix the country's mounting problems.

And Obama keeps pushing for more infrastructure spending, arguing that the jobs construction projects create are good for the economy and good for business.

"When you ask companies who brought jobs back to America in the last few years, they'll say, if we upgrade our infrastructure, we'll bring even more," Obama said earlier this year at a port in Miami, Florida. "So what are we waiting for?"

As the White House is eager to point out, infrastructure spending is one of the few things that the pro-business U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the labor union AFL-CIO can agree on.

What is Congress waiting for?

"Infrastructure has always been non-partisan," said Rob Puentes, Director of the Brookings Institution's Metropolitan Policy Program. "The reason that it's contentious in Washington is because the morning prayers are contentious in Washington."

And Republicans, who are deeply enmeshed in a battle with Democrats over where to cut spending, aren't eager to authorize new projects, or worse yet, raise the 18 cents per gallon gasoline tax that is used to currently fund transportation projects.

States, Puentes said, have already taken matters into their own hands since Congress has proven that it won't do more. Puentes calls it a "silver lining."

"As everyone was looking for the federal government to respond, the states kind of did it themselves," Puentes said. "They are making progress. They are doing what they can with limited resources."

Perhaps in a nod to that shift from the federal government to state and local governments, Obama found a new Transportation Secretary for his second term in Charlotte, N.C. Mayor Anthony Foxx.

"The Federal Government has got to be responsive and has to understand what it's like when you're a mayor or a Governor or a county executive trying to get these projects up and running," Obama said when announcing Foxx's nomination. "Which also means that we have the potential of continuing to streamline our approvals and get rid of some difficulties in permitting that slow projects down, because we want to get people back to work and we want to get this country moving,"

Copyright 2013 ABC News Radio

Menendez: Immigration Reform Doesn't Have 60 Votes Yet

Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images(WASHINGTON) -- The Gang of Eight immigration bill does not yet have a 60-vote majority in the Senate, according to one of its authors, Sen. Bob Menendez.

During an interview with Univision's Jorge Ramos, Menendez, D-N.J., appeared confident that Congress will pass a comprehensive immigration reform bill. But he said the Senate bill's backers haven't yet cobbled together a large enough majority to avoid a potential filibuster.

"We don't currently have 60 votes identified in the Senate," he said during the interview with Ramos, which was conducted in Spanish for Al Punto, Univision's Sunday public affairs show. "We need to add more votes on the floor."

Menendez's comments are surprising, considering the positive outlook of the bill's supporters this week. On Tuesday, the Senate Judiciary Committee passed the legislation on a bipartisan 13-5 vote, encouraging the bill's backers that they could attract a majority on the Senate floor.

"This is a significant first step, and there will be more tests to come, but this accomplishment makes me guardedly optimistic for the success of the legislation," Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., one of the bill's authors, said in a statement after the committee vote.

Menendez's assessment might not carry such a dire warning in the short term. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., has said that he will not block the immigration bill from coming to the floor, despite opposition from some conservative members and activists. But the bill could face a filibuster if and when leaders move it to a final vote.

Plus, leading members of the Gang of Eight have set a high target for the level of support they hope to lure; 70 votes, pulling from majorities of both Democrats and Republicans in the upper chamber.

A strong majority of 70 votes, they believe, is not only possible but necessary to cajole the Republican-controlled House of Representatives to act. Despite his evaluation of the current level of support, Menendez believes that is possible.

"We want to push this bill forward with the most positive votes we can find … so we can put pressure on the House," he said. "I want to have a good vote in the Senate so we send the message that the Republicans and the Democrats are together in favor of immigration reform."

Menendez framed his projection about the votes as a call to action for Latino supporters of the bill. He urged them to call their members of Congress to build the support necessary for the legislation to pass.

"The community in your state, in every state, should be contacting your state's two U.S. senators saying that they want comprehensive immigration reform, that they are going to judge their political future based on this vote," he said. "And if we do this, both in the Senate and, later, with the members of the House of Representatives, we can achieve the victory that we want."

Copyright 2013 ABC News Radio

Obama Nods to Drones in Naval Academy Speech

John Moore/Getty Images(ANNAPOLIS, Md.) -- President Obama gave a nod to his newly articulated drone policy as he addressed the graduating class of the U.S. Naval Academy on Friday.

“We still face threats from al Qaeda affiliates and individuals caught up in its ideology,” Obama said, addressing the academy’s graduation ceremony in Annapolis, Md. “Will still need to conduct targeted strikes against terrorists before they kill our citizens.”

Obama laid out his drone policies in another speech Thursday seeking to explain why, how, and when the U.S. will decide to kill Americans living abroad.

Obama raised the issue on Friday as he addressed the graduates on new security challenges.

He also made what could be construed as a mention of the IRS scandal that has dogged his administration over the past two weeks. A major theme in his speech was failing public trust in government institutions, and the president mentioned “civil servants” and “misconduct.” It’s unclear whether that’s what Obama meant.

“Every day our civil servants do their jobs with professionalism, protecting our national security and delivering the services that so many Americans expect. But as we’ve seen again in recent days, it only takes the misconduct of a few to further erode the people’s trust in their government. And that’s unacceptable to me, and I know it’s unacceptable to you,” Obama said.

“And against this backdrop, what I said here four years ago remains true today. Our military remains the most trusted institution in America. When others have shirked their responsibilities, our armed forces have met every mission we’ve given them. When others have been distracted by petty arguments, our men and women in uniform come together as one American team,” Obama continued.

The president condemned sexual assaults in the military, a major topic of discussion on Capitol Hill after a Pentagon study earlier this month found reported incidents on the rise.

“Those who commit sexual assault are not only committing a crime, they threaten the trust and discipline that makes our military strong,” Obama said. “That’s why we have to be determined to stop these crimes because they’ve got no place in the greatest military on earth.”

He blasted the “foolish across-the-board budgets cuts known as the sequester, which is threatening our readiness” and pledged to fight for military funding.

The president shook hands and congratulated each of the 1,047 graduates -- 764 Navy ensigns, 264 Marine Corps 2nd lieutenants, and three Air Force 2nd lieutenants; 841 men and 206 women. He then donned an overcoat after his speech as rain drizzled over the crowd.

Copyright 2013 ABC News Radio

Obama, Chris Christie to Reunite on Jersey Shore

Official White House Photo by Pete Souza(NEW YORK) -- President Obama and N.J. Gov. Chris Christie will reunite once again when the president visits the Jersey Shore Tuesday.

The post-Memorial Day trip comes as the New Jersey coast prepares for its first summer season after Superstorm Sandy. A senior White House official confirmed the visit to ABC News.

Obama and Christie have become something of a political odd couple since the storm’s devastation nudged them closer together in the fall. The October storm, which came ashore shortly before the 2012 presidential Election Day, and Christie’s praise for Obama are credited with helping Obama overcome a negative media spiral after his debate performances against Mitt Romney, the Republican nominee.

Their meeting comes as Christie’s Democratic opponent State Sen. Barbara Buono is struggling to sustain a credible challenge to Christie’s gubernatorial re-election bid.

A poll earlier this month showed Buono trailing Christie by 32 percentage points.

Copyright 2013 ABC News Radio

At Naval Academy Commencement, Obama Talks Sexual Assault in Military

MANDEL NGAN/AFP/Getty Images(ANNAPOLIS, Md.) -- As a cold rain poured down on the commencement ceremony, President Obama addressed the graduating class of the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis, Md., Friday and used the recent scandal of sexual assaults in the military as a call for the graduates to restore trust and honor in America’s institutions.

“We must acknowledge that even here, even in our military, we’ve seen how the misconduct of some can have effects that ripple far and wide,” Obama said at the Naval Academy commencement ceremony.  “In our digital age, a single image from the battlefield of troops falling short of their standards can go viral and endanger our forces and undermine our efforts to achieve security and peace.  Likewise, those who commit sexual assault are not only committing a crime, they threaten the trust and discipline that make our military strong.  That’s why we have to be determined to stop these crimes, because they’ve got no place in the greatest military on Earth.”

“Class of 2013, I say all this because you’re about to assume the burden of leadership.  As officers, you will be trusted with the most awesome of responsibilities -- the lives of the men and women under your command,” he said.

“When your service is complete, many of you will go on to help lead your communities, America’s companies.  You will lead this country.  And if we want to restore the trust that the American people deserve to have in their institutions, all of us have to do our part.  And those of us in leadership -- myself included -- have to constantly strive to remain worthy of the public trust. As you go forward in your careers, we need you to carry forth the values that you’ve learned at this institution, because our nation needs them now more than ever,” he continued.

Obama, who was speaking at his second Naval Academy commencement ceremony since becoming president, also touched on his drone policy, which he laid out in a speech Thursday.

“We still face threats from al Qaeda affiliates and from individuals caught up in its ideology.  Even as we move beyond deploying large ground armies abroad, we still need to conduct precise, targeted strikes against terrorists before they kill our citizens,” he said. “And even as we stay vigilant in the face of terrorism and stay true to our Constitution and our values, we need to stay ready for the full range of threats -- from nations seeking weapons of mass destruction to cyber criminals seeking to unleash weapons of mass destruction.”    

Dressed in their dress whites and dress blues, the graduates sat through a two and a half hour ceremony as a cold rain drenched them. Obama apologized for the poor weather, but noted “that Marines and folks in the Navy don't mind a little water.”

Wearing an overcoat, the president stood in the rain as he shook hands with each of the 1,047 graduates -- 764 Navy ensigns, 264 Marine Corps 2nd lieutenants, and three Air Force 2nd lieutenants; 841 men and 206 women.

Copyright 2013 ABC News Radio

Rand Paul Impresses Iowa Voters, Still Loses to Hillary Clinton

SAUL LOEB/AFP/GettyImages(DES MOINES, Iowa) -- Hillary Clinton sits at the top of the pack in a new poll of Iowa voters, but her closest competition is firebrand Republican Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky, a new poll found.

Clinton would beat rising-star Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., handily, 48 to 37 percent, according to a new Quinnipiac University poll released today. But Paul trails her by only 4 points.

Paul, 50, traveled to Iowa earlier this month, stoking speculation that he is courting voters for a 2016 run. Incidentally, around the same time he pointedly jabbed Clinton saying that her involvement in the aftermath of the attacks on the U.S. Consulate in Benghazi, Libya, last year made her unfit for “high office.”

Iowa voters have the distinction of being the first to weigh in on the presidential election every four years at the Iowa caucuses.  And the swing state’s 6 electoral votes are often key to reaching the 270 votes needed to win the presidency.

Quinnipiac pollsters believe that Paul’s swing-state travels might be working with voters.

“In general, Senator Paul appears to be the better GOP candidate at this point in Iowa,” Peter A. Brown, assistant director of the Quinnipiac University Polling Institute, said. “Part of the reason may be the publicity from his recent high-profile visit to the state, but more likely is that he begins with a solid base of support, the folks who voted for his father [former Texas Rep. Ron Paul] in the 2008 and 2012 caucuses.”

In a state where President Obama’s approval rating is upside down, Iowa voters are also hesitant to back his vice president Joe Biden, who has intimated an openness to another presidential run.

If the election were held today, Biden would lose to Paul 44 to 39 percent. And he trails Rubio by a single point, within the poll’s 2.6 percent margin of error.

Obama won Iowa independents last year by 14 points, but Biden is losing at the moment to both Paul and Rubio among independent voters.

Copyright 2013 ABC News Radio

Rand Paul Impresses Iowa Voters, Still Loses to Hillary Clinton

(DES MOINES, Iowa) -- Hillary Clinton sits at the top of the pack in a new poll of Iowa voters, but her closest competition is firebrand Republican Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky, a new poll found.

Clinton would beat rising-star Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., handily, 48 to 37 percent, according to a new Quinnipiac University poll released today. But Paul trails her by only 4 points.

Paul, 50, traveled to Iowa earlier this month, stoking speculation that he is courting voters for a 2016 run. Incidentally, around the same time he pointedly jabbed Clinton saying that her involvement in the aftermath of the attacks on the U.S. Consulate in Benghazi, Libya, last year made her unfit for “high office.”

Iowa voters have the distinction of being the first to weigh in on the presidential election every four years at the Iowa caucuses.  And the swing state’s 6 electoral votes are often key to reaching the 270 votes needed to win the presidency.

Quinnipiac pollsters believe that Paul’s swing-state travels might be working with voters.

“In general, Senator Paul appears to be the better GOP candidate at this point in Iowa,” Peter A. Brown, assistant director of the Quinnipiac University Polling Institute, said. “Part of the reason may be the publicity from his recent high-profile visit to the state, but more likely is that he begins with a solid base of support, the folks who voted for his father [former Texas Rep. Ron Paul] in the 2008 and 2012 caucuses.”

In a state where President Obama’s approval rating is upside down, Iowa voters are also hesitant to back his vice president Joe Biden, who has intimated an openness to another presidential run.

If the election were held today, Biden would lose to Paul 44 to 39 percent. And he trails Rubio by a single point, within the poll’s 2.6 percent margin of error.

Obama won Iowa independents last year by 14 points, but Biden is losing at the moment to both Paul and Rubio among independent voters.

Copyright 2013 ABC News Radio

Did Obama Forget to Salute?

Comstock/Thinkstock(WASHINGTON) -- The president may have forgotten to do something as he boarded Marine One Friday morning.

On his way to the U.S. Naval Academy graduation ceremony in Annapolis, Md., President Obama didn’t return the salute of the marine standing guard at the door of Marine One, as he climbed the steps to the helicopter cabin.

Obama soon ducked his head out, waved to the pilot, and jaunted back down the stairs to address the marine, shaking his hand. In the short video clip, one can’t hear the two men talking, so it’s unclear what exactly was said. A faint smile appeared to cross the marine’s face as the they exchanged brief words.

Obama jogged back up the steps, still not having saluted.

While this exchange may seem to be a military faux pas -- Obama typically salutes as he boards Marine One -- presidential salutes aren’t a fully closed matter. In a 2009 New York Times op-ed, Smithsonian magazine editor and former marine Carey Winfrey identified them as a recent phenomenon, one that evoked mixed feelings from him:

… Whenever I saw a president stepping off a helicopter and bringing hand to brow, my drill instructor’s unambiguous words came back to me with much of their original force.

Then there were the salutes themselves, which ranged from halfhearted to jaunty. None of them fulfilled the characteristically succinct prescription that Capt. Jack O’Donnell of the Marine Corps delivered, in 1963, to my platoon of freshly minted second lieutenants at basic school in Quantico, Va.: “Your salute,” he pronounced, “must be impeccable...

Presidents have long been saluted, but they began returning salutes relatively recently. Ronald Reagan was thought to be the first, in 1981.

Reagan, Winfrey wrote, consulted the Marine Corps commandant on whether saluting back was appropriate. Marines themselves are taught not to do so out of uniform, and Winfrey raised the obvious point: Presidents, in suits and ties, aren’t wearing uniforms. But as commanders in chief, they’re in charge, and according to the advice Reagan got, supersede the protocol.

So while Obama typically does salute, it’s not as if he’s required to.

Copyright 2013 ABC News Radio

Budget Cuts Get Personal; Those Who Are Hurt, Holler

Image Source/Getty Images(NEW YORK) -- The federal budget sequester may be dampening a rise in economic optimism: Nearly four in 10 Americans now say sequestration has hurt them personally, up substantially since it began in March -- and they’re far less sanguine than others about the economy’s prospects overall.

Thirty-seven percent in the latest ABC News/Washington Post poll say they’ve been negatively impacted by the budget cuts, up from 25 percent in March. As previously, about half of those affected say the harm has been “major.”

Those who are hurt, holler. Among people who report no personal impact of the sequester, 66 percent say economic recovery is under way, and six in 10 are optimistic about the economy’s prospects in the year ahead. Among those who report major harm from the cuts, by contrast, just 36 percent see recovery, and optimism drops to 40 percent.

As reported earlier this week, optimism about the economy is advancing; 56 percent of Americans now say it’s begun to recover, up by 20 percentage points in the past year and a half to the most since ABC and the Post first asked the question in late 2009. Results on the sequester suggest that could be better still had the cuts not taken effect.

More Americans continue to disapprove than approve of sequestration, now by 56-35 percent -- again, a view influenced by experience of the cuts. Eight in 10 of those who report serious harm oppose the cuts, as do about two-thirds of those slightly harmed. But the majority, which has felt no impacts, divides exactly evenly -- 46 percent favor the cuts, vs. 46 percent opposed.

Further, this poll, produced for ABC by Langer Research Associates, finds that 39 percent overall “strongly” disapprove of the cuts -- but that soars to 66 percent of those who say they’ve been harmed in a major way. (Just 16 percent overall strongly approve.)

Experience of the cuts even trumps partisanship and ideology: Among Republicans, conservatives and Tea Party supporters who’ve been harmed by the cuts, most oppose them. Support is far higher among those in these groups who haven’t felt an impact of sequestration.

Perhaps surprisingly, given the partisan nature of the debate, views of the cuts don’t divide sharply along party lines. Majorities of Democrats and Republicans alike oppose the cuts -- 59 and 54 percent, respectively -- as do a similar 58 percent of independents.

One reason: Republicans are 14 points more apt than Democrats to say they’ve been harmed by the sequester. And among Republicans who’ve been hurt by the cuts, 68 percent disapprove of them. Among those unhurt, disapproval drops to 42 percent.

Forty-seven percent of “very” conservative Americans approve of the cuts, as do 42 percent of those who call themselves “somewhat” conservative. It’s 36 percent among moderates and 24 percent among liberals. But again, impacts of the cuts are a bigger factor in views on the issue. Among conservatives hurt by the cuts, 65 percent disapprove of them; among those unhurt, just 34 percent disapprove.

Similarly, 66 percent of Tea Party supporters who’ve been damaged by the cuts disapprove, vs. 44 percent of those who report no personal impact.

While Barack Obama has been a sharp critic of sequestration, he only runs 43-38 percent against the Republicans in Congress in trust to handle the budget deficit, not a significant difference. He’s done much better on the issue, but also worse; the tables were turned as recently as two years ago, when Obama trailed the GOP in trust to handle the deficit by 8 points.

Copyright 2013 ABC News Radio

Ohio Voter Fraud ‘Does Exist,’ But ‘Not an Epidemic’

iStockphoto/Thinkstock(NEW YORK) -- In what was one of the 2012 election cycle’s most important battleground states, “voter fraud does exist,” Ohio Secretary of State Jon Husted acknowledged in a report on Thursday. “But it is not an epidemic.”

Husted, a Republican and the state’s chief elections official, said at a news conference and in an accompanying report that was based on a survey of all of Ohio’s 88 counties conducted in the wake of last November’s election, 625 possible voting irregularities were reported across the state and 135 of them have been sent to law enforcement for further investigation.

Of the 135 investigated instances of fraud in Ohio, a state where President Obama beat Mitt Romney by some 166,214 votes, 20 of them involved voters who cast ballots in both Ohio and another state and will be referred to the Ohio attorney general.

“Our effort to look into irregularities and root out voter fraud sends a strong message that no amount of fraud is acceptable,” Husted said in a statement. “If you cheat, you will be caught and held accountable.”

Other “irregularities” that surfaced in the post-election survey included double voting, standing in for another voter, and voting from an address from which an individual was not eligible, according to the secretary of state’s report.

Before Election Day in 2012, a federal judge blocked new voting laws proposed by Ohio Republican lawmakers that were aimed at reducing voter fraud by restricting early voting. Ohio requires voters to provide proof of identity at polling places such as a driver’s license, bank statement or utility bill.

No instances of voter suppression were reported. In Ohio, more than 5.6 million ballots were cast in the 2012 election.

The results of Ohio’s review come on the heels of President Obama’s appointment of members to his Presidential Commission on Election Administration earlier this week. The commission is tasked with identifying ways to solve the problem of long lines and inefficient polling locations during the 2012 election. Members of the commission include former top lawyers for both the Obama and Romney campaigns.

Copyright 2013 ABC News Radio

Lois Lerner Placed on Administrative Leave

Pete Marovich/Bloomberg via Getty Images(WASHINGTON) -- Congressional and administration sources confirm that IRS director of Exempt Organizations Lois Lerner has been placed on administrative leave.

Lerner came under fire this week when she chose to invoke her Fifth Amendment right not to incriminate herself rather than testify before the House Oversight and Government Reform committee.

Earlier Thursday, Rep. Darrell Issa, the chairman of the committee, announced that he believes Lerner waived her right to refuse to testify when she read a statement and authenticated a document for the record during the hearing.

National Review Online first reported that the IRS had placed Lerner on paid leave.

According to NRO, Lerner emailed colleagues shortly before the news broke, announcing, “Due to the events of recent days, I am on administrative leave starting today. An announcement will be made shortly informing you who will be acting while I am on administrative leave. I know all of you will continue to support EO’s mission during these difficult times. I thank you for all your hard work and dedication. The work you do is important.”

IRS acting commissioner Daniel Werfel announced that Ken Corbin, currently the deputy director, Submission Processing, Wage and Investment (W&I) Division, has been selected to be the acting director, Exempt Organizations, Tax Exempt/Government Entities Division.

“Ken is a proven leader during challenging times. He has strong management experience inside the IRS handling a wide range of processing issues and compliance topics as well as taxpayer service areas,” Werfel stated. “Combined with his track record of leading large work groups, these skills make him an ideal choice to help lead the Exempt Organizations area through this difficult period.”

During her brief statement at the hearing on Wednesday, Lerner declared her innocence before Issa dismissed her from the proceedings.

“I have not done anything wrong,” she said. “I have not broken any laws, I have not violated any IRS rules or regulations, and I have not provided false information to this or any other congressional committee.”

Issa, R-Calif., announced Thursday that he is considering recalling Lerner before the committee for additional testimony.

“After consulting with counsel, Chairman Issa has concluded that Ms. Lerner’s Fifth Amendment assertion is no longer valid. She remains under subpoena,” Frederick Hill, communications director for Issa, said. “The committee is looking at recalling her for further testimony.”

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