When President Obama submitted his budget to the Congress back in mid-February, there was a hole in the budget when it came to funding for roads and bridges - three months later, that hole is still there.
“Bipartisan financing for Transportation Trust Fund,” was the wording in the Obama budget, which called for $328 billion in funding over ten years for infrastructure.
But now in Mid-May, there's still no details as a Senate panel holds a hearing today on how best to replenish the federal Highway Trust Fund.
In recent weeks, the Obama Administration floated the idea of a "Vehicle Miles Traveled" program, which would use high tech trackers to figure out how much you drive and then tax you based on that figure.
Let's just say that with the current makeup of the Congress, that has as much chance to succeed as I have a chance to be elected President of the United States. It ain't happening.
"Financing 21st Century Infrastructure," is the title of today's hearing before the Senate Finance Committee, which is the chief tax-writing committee of the U.S. Senate.
One of the witnesses is former Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell, who was advocating a gas tax increase as recently as last year in his home state, arguing it's the best way to pay for highway upgrades.
Rendell said last July that there was no way to build new roads and bridges without raising some form of taxes and fees along the way.
Also testifying today is highway expert Gabriel Roth, who has argued that states should be allowed to figure out how best to fund new and upgraded roads.
Roth is a big supporter of electronically tolled lanes to bring in money for those same facilities.
It's almost certain that some lawmakers would push for an increase in the federal gas tax as part of any grand budget deal that might be hatched this year in the Congress.
The gas tax has not been raised since 1993, when President Clinton got Congress to add four cents as a way to pay for deficit reduction, but not for extra road and bridge projects.
Since then, it's almost been political suicide to recommend a higher gas tax, and that certainly still seems to hold sway in the Congress at this point in time.
Meanwhile, lamwakers still wait for the White House to answer a simple question - where does the President expect to get $328 billion for extra road spending?
That hole in the budget - like many potholes - has yet to be fixed.
