Bush administration delays unpopular program until after Labor Day

Bush administration delays unpopular program until after Labor Day


Plans to open the border to Mexican trucks this weekend were postponed until at least Thursday, Sept. 6.
The Bush administration's lawyers on Thursday told the 9th Circuit
Court of Appeals that "DOT (Department of Transportation) now anticipates that the Demonstration Project will not begin before Thursday, September 6."
Teamsters General President Jim Hoffa said the negative publicity
generated by the union's request for an injunction forced the Bush
administration to delay its proposed pilot program.
"Dangerous trucks should not be driving all the way from Mexico to
Maine and Minnesota," Hoffa said. "The American people understand that,
Congress understands that and the Teamsters understand that. What is it
about safety and national security that George Bush doesn't understand?"
As one indication of the program's unpopularity, the House of Representatives voted 411-3 on May 15 to halt the program until safety and security standards were met.
The Bush administration made no formal announcement about the expected start date for the controversial program. The Bush administration lawyers, however, told the Teamsters that Mexican trucking companies would be granted permission to roll across the borders on Saturday, Sept. 1.
Reporters learned from the Teamsters that the Bush administration
planned to open the borders to Mexican trucks on Labor Day weekend. When reporters tried to get a straight answer from the Department of
Transportation, they couldn't.
It is only in a footnote to legal papers filed Thursday, Aug. 30, that the Bush administration reveals its plans to open the border on Thursday,Sept. 6. The papers were filed in the 9th Circuit Court in response to the Teamsters' motion for an injunction.
"I will continue to fight like hell to prevent Mexican trucks from
endangering lives throughout the United States," Hoffa said. "I'm confident the court will side with the Teamsters and with the American people by blocking this program before it starts next week."
The Teamsters will also ask Congress to block the program as soon as it returns from vacation.