Conservative Group Recommends Elimination of Transportation Dept.
A conservative group Tuesday proposed another federal agency for the chopping block--the $40-billion-a-year Transportation Department.
The Heritage Foundation released a study that said significant savings could be achieved by closing Transportation and ending some of its functions or shifting them elsewhere.
Among the foundation’s proposals:
* Abolish the federal gasoline tax so states can levy new local gas taxes and build their own roads.
* End Amtrak funding and encourage its management to work with interested states to run cost-efficient rail services.
* Privatize the Federal Aviation Administration’s air traffic control functions and leave airport funding to the states. Move air-safety functions to a new transportation safety agency.
* Shift the Coast Guard, whose chief focus is law enforcement, to the Justice Department.
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