By Rand Paul
Obama acts as though we no longer have a Constitution
Though some had hoped for action on Wednesday, the regional authority overseeing the $6 billion rail-to-Dulles project will not discuss - or possibly vote on - a labor provision that is threatening to derail the second leg of the 23-mile rail line until as late as June 6.
A Northern Virginia delegate has inserted language into the House's proposed budget to effectively negate a proposed incentive for firms bidding on Phase 2 of the Dulles Metrorail project to use a labor agreement that many say favors unions.
The Virginia House of Delegates on Monday gave preliminary approval to a bill that would prohibit mandatory labor agreements on state-funded construction projects that opponents argue favor union workers and can lead to ballooning costs.
The Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority and Virginia have reached a tentative agreement on a labor pact that had threatened to quash a deal in which the state would contribute additional money to the Dulles Metrorail project.
Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority members had a message Wednesday for officials from Virginia, Fairfax and Loudoun counties and the federal government regarding the second phase of the Dulles Metrorail project: The ball's in your court.
Fairfax County on Tuesday conditionally endorsed Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood's plan to cut roughly $1 billion in costs from the second leg of the Dulles Metrorail project.
