Obama signs into law transportation bill
WASHINGTON – A five-year, $305 billion bill to address the nation’s aging and congested transportation systems was signed into law Friday by President Barack Obama, who said it will put Americans to work and provide states with the federal help they need to commit to long-term projects.
The bill, which was overwhelmingly approved by Congress a day earlier, provides a modest increase to highway and transit spending but falls short of the $400 billion over six years administration officials said is necessary to keep traffic congestion from worsening. Nor does it resolve how to pay for transportation programs in the long term.
Obama said he’ll continue to push for greater transportation spending to meet the nation’s infrastructure needs.
Military may open women to draft
WASHINGTON – The government is deliberating whether to propose Selective Service changes that would make women eligible for the military draft, the White house said Friday, a day after the Pentagon said it would no longer bar women from combat jobs.
The Defense Department has prepared an analysis of how the Pentagon change could affect the U.S. Military Selective Service Act, said White House spokesman Josh Earnest.
The Selective Service Act requires eligible men to register for the draft when they turn 18 or face fines.
Registrants can be called up for compulsory service until they are 26 years old, though none have been called up in decades.
Associated Press
