No surprise here: The Senate failed by nine votes to cut off extended debate on the Democrats' $60 billion infrastructure plan.

President Barack Obama had touted the proposal Wednesday in a speech in front of Washington's Key Bridge.

But Republicans Thursday objected to the Democrats' plan to pay for the program, a 0.7 percent surcharagae on millionaires.

The vote to cut off debate was 51to 49. Sen. Ben Nelson, D-Neb., and Joseph Lieberman, Ind.-Conn., joined 47 Republicans in voting for extended debate. 60 votes were needed to cut it off.

With Congress's refusal to authorize spending by the Federal Aviation Administration, it's also refusing tio authorize the FAA to collect the federal taxes added onto airline tickets. Yet the airlines continue to charge the taxes, a total of about $200 million a week.

Where's that money going?

The airlines are pocketing it, says Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood. And he either wants it back for the government, or wants the airlines to refund it to airline customers.

"For all the talk about deficits and debt," he said at the White House Thursday, "that mone is being lost to the treasury."

While air traffic controllers continjueto work, LaHood also said the funding dispute in Congress over the FAA has idled thousands of construction workers at the height of the summer construction season.

"Since Congress failed to pass an FAA bill, nearly 4,000 FAA employees have been furloughed and as many as 70,000 construction workers across America are out of work," he said. "Important airport modernization projects have been shut down in every state in the country.

"And let me just say parenthetically, one of the highest unemployment segments in the country is in the construction area, in the building trades. And for all of my friends on Capitol Hill who give speeches every day about jobs, the importance of jobs, putting people to work, this is not the time to be laying off 70,000 construction workers."

Wisconsin Republican Gov. Scott Walker, who late last year rejected federal funding for high speed rail projects, is now one of several governors requesting a portion of the $2.4 billion in rail money Florida turned down in February — some of which came from Wisconsin.

Before Walker became nationally known for his effort to strip state public employees of collective bargaining rights, he campaigned against an $810 million high speed rail project between Milwaukee and Madison in last year's election.

Now he wants $150 million to improve service and add trains on Amtrak's Chicago-Milwaukee Hiawatha line. (A Hiawatha train is pictured above, leaving Chicago for Milwaukee in 2008.)

After Walker and Ohio Republican Gov. John Kasich took office, they both returned federal rail grants to the Department of Transportation.

DOT then awarded the funds to Florida, to help complete its planned Orlando-Tampa high speed project. However, newly elected Republican Gov. Rick Scott, who hadn't taken a position on the project in last year's campaign, also rejected the money.

Walker told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel last week that the new request isn't a reversal.

"This is not inconsistent with the position I took in the past," he said.

States had until Monday to submit their requests for the funds Florida returned. The Department of Transportation said a full list of states that applied would be available Wednesday. However, several already announced their requests by Monday's deadline.

• California: $2.4 billion, to extend the first segment of a planned high-speed line in the Central Valley. When complete, it would link San Francisco to Los Angeles.
• Missouri: $1 billion, to upgrade existing service between St. Louis and Kansas City, and begin planning for a separate high-speed line between the two cities.
• New York: $517 million, for several projects, including upgrades to the Northeast Corridor, the New York-Albany-Buffalo Empire Corridor and the Moynihan Station in Midtown Manhattan.
• Maryland: $415 million, to replace aging bridges on the Northeast Corridor, add new track and redevelop the station at Baltimore/Washington Thurgood Marshall Airport.
• Wisconsin: $150 million, to reduce travel times between Chicago and Milwaukee to an hour from 90 minutes, add new trains and build a maintenance facility for the equipment.
• Washington: $120 million, to add two daily roundtrips on the Cascades corridor between Seattle and Portland, Ore., and improve track and signal systems.

In addition to the state requests, Amtrak is asking for $1.3 billion to modernize the Northeast Corridor, the country's busiest passenger train route. The funds would be used to boost speeds between Philadelphia and New York, replace a century-old bridge in New Jersey and do preliminary engineering and environmental work for two new tunnels under the Hudson River into Manhattan. 

The newly-elected Republican governor this morning said he's rejecting the adminstration's offer of $2.4 billion for a high-speed rail project between Orlando and Tampa.

Scott says he told U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood of the state’s decision, which he said "came down to three main economic realities," that "capital cost overruns" could cost Florida taxpayers $3 billion; that ridership and revenue projections are "historically overly-optimistic and would likely result in ongoing subsidies" and that "if the project becomes too costly for taxpayers and is shut down, the state would have to return the $2.4 billion."

" The truth is that this project would be far too costly to taxpayers and I believe the risk far outweighs the benefit."

The decision is likely to sit well with fiscal conservatives in the state, and with other states that would like the dollars. But House Transportation Committee chair John Mica, an Orlando-area Republican, called it a "huge setback" for the state.

Want to know what committees senators will serve on? Here are the lists...Democrats first, then Republicans:

Agriculture:

Chairwoman Debbie Stabenow

Patrick Leahy

Tom Harkin

Kent Conrad

Max Baucus

Ben Nelson

Sherrod Brown

Robert Casey

Amy Klobuchar

Michael Bennet

Kirsten Gillibrand

Appropriations:

Chairman Daniel Inouye

Patrick Leahy

Tom  Harkin

Barbara Mikulski

Herb  Kohl

Patty  Murray

Dianne  Feinstein

Richard Durbin

Tim  Johnson

Mary Landrieu

Jack  Reed

Frank Lautenberg

Ben  Nelson

Mark Pryor

Jon  Tester

Sherrod Brown

Armed Services:

Chairman Carl Levin
Joseph Lieberman

Jack Reed

Daniel Akaka

Ben  Nelson

Jim  Webb

Claire  McCaskill

Mark  Udall

Kay Hagan

Mark Begich

Joe Manchin

Jeanne Shaheen

Kirsten Gillibrand

Richard Blumenthal

Banking:

Chairman Tim Johnson
Jack Reed

Charles Schumer

Robert Menendez

Daniel Akaka

Sherrod  Brown

Jon Tester

Herb Kohl

Mark Warner

Jeff  Merkley

Michael Bennet

Kay Hagan

Commerce:

Chairman Jay Rockefeller

Daniel Inouye

John Kerry

Barbara Boxer

Bill Nelson

Maria Cantwell

Frank Lautenberg

Mark Pryor

Claire McCaskill

Amy Klobuchar

Tom Udall

Mark Warner

Mark Begich

Energy:

Chairman Jeff Bingaman
Ron  Wyden
Tim  Johnson

Mary Landrieu

Maria Cantwell

Bernard Sanders

Debbie Stabenow

Mark Udall

Jeanne Shaheen

Al Franken

Joe Manchin

Christopher Coons

Environment and Public Works:
Chairwoman Barbara Boxer

Max Baucus

Thomas Carper

Frank Lautenberg

Benjamin Cardin

Bernard Sanders

Sheldon Whitehouse

Tom Udall

Jeff Merkley

Kirsten Gillibrand

Finance:

Chairman Max Baucus

Jay Rockefeller

Kent Conrad

Jeff Bingaman

John Kerry

Ron Wyden

Charles Schumer

Debbie Stabenow

Maria Cantwell

Bill Nelson

Robert Menendez

Thomas Carper

Ben Cardin

Foreign Relations:

Chairman John Kerry

Barbara Boxer

Robert Menendez

Benjamin Cardin

Robert Casey

Jim Webb

Jeanne Shaheen

Christopher Coons

Richard Durbin

Tom Udall

Health, Education, Labor and Pension:
Chairman Tom Harkin
Barbara Mikulski

Jeff Bingaman

Patty Murray

Bernard Sanders

Robert Casey

Kay Hagan

Jeff Merkley

Al Franken

Michael Bennet

Sheldon Whitehouse

Richard Blumenthal

Homeland Security and Government Affairs:

Chairman Joseph Lieberman
Carl Levin

Daniel Akaka

Thomas Carper

Mark Pryor

Mary Landrieu

Claire McCaskill

Jon Tester

Mark Begich

Select Committee on Intelligence:

Chairwoman Dianne Feinstein

Jay Rockefeller

Ron Wyden

Barbara Mikulski

Bill Nelson

Kent Conrad

Mark Udall

Mark Warner

Judiciary:

Chairman Patrick Leahy

Herb Kohl

Dianne Feinstein

Charles Schumer

Richard Durbin

Sheldon Whitehouse

Amy Klobuchar

Al Franken

Christopher Coons

Ricahrd Blumenthal

Special Committee on Aging:

Chairman Herb Kohl

Ron Wyden
Bill Nelson

Robert Casey

Claire McCaskill

Sheldon Whitehouse

Mark Udall

Michael Bennet

Kirsten Gillibrand

Joe Manchin

Richard Blumenthal

Budget:

Chairman Ken Conrad

Patty Murray

Ron Wyden

Bill Nelson

Debbie Stabenow

Benjamin Cardin

Bernard Sanders

Sheldon Whitehouse

Mark Warner

Jeff Merkley

Mark Begich

Christopher Coons

Joint Economic Committee:

Chairman Robert Casey 
Jeff Bingaman

Amy Klobuchar

Jim Webb

Mark Warner

Bernard Sanders

Rules and Administration:

Chairman Charles Schumer

Daniel Inouye

Dianne Feinstein

Richard Durbin

Ben Nelson

Patty Murray

Mark Pryor

Tom Udall

Mark Warner

Patrick Leahy

Small Business and Entrepreneurship:

Chairman Mary Landrieu

Carl Levin

Tom Harkin

John Kerry

Joseph Lieberman

Maria Cantwell

Mark Pryor

Benjamin Cardin

Jeanne Shaheen

Kay Hagan

Veterans’ Affairs:

Chairwoman Patty Murray

Jay Rockefeller

Daniel Akaka

Bernard Sanders

Sherrod Brown

Jim Webb

Jon Tester

Mark Begich

Select Committee on Ethics:

Chairwoman Barbara Boxer

Mark Pryor

Sherrod Brown

Indian Affairs:

Chairman Daniel Akaka

Daniel Inouye

Kent Conrad

Tim Johnson

Maria Cantwell

Jon Tester

Tom Udall

Al Franken

---

Now, the Republicans:

Appropriations

Thad Cochran, Miss.

Mitch McConnell, Ky.

Richard Shelby, Ala.

Kay Bailey Hutchison, Texas

Lamar Alexander, Tenn.

Susan Collins, Maine

Lisa Murkowski, Alaska

Lindsey Graham, S.C.

Mark Kirk, Ill.

Dan Coats, Ind.

Roy Blunt, Mo.

Jerry Moran, Kan.

John Hoeven, N.D.

Ron Johnson, Wis.

Armed Services

John McCain, Ariz.

Jim Inhofe, Okla.

Jeff Sessions, Ala.

Saxby Chambliss, Ga.

Roger Wicker, Miss.

Scott Brown, Mass.

Rob Portman, Ohio

Kelly Ayotte, N.H.

Susan Collins, Maine

Lindsey Graham, S.C.

John Cornyn, Texas

David Vitter, La.

Finance

Chuck Grassley, Iowa

Orrin Hatch, Utah

Olympia Snowe, Maine

Jon Kyl, Ariz.

Mike Crapo, Idaho

Pat Roberts, Kan.

John Ensign, Nev.

Mike Enzi, Wyo.

John Cornyn, Texas

Tom Coburn, Okla.

John Thune, S.D.

Foreign Relations

Richard Lugar, Ind.

Bob Corker, Tenn.

Jim Risch, Idaho

Marco Rubio, Fla.

Jim Inhofe, Okla.

Jim DeMint, S.C.

Johnny Isakson, Ga.

John Barrasso, Wyo.

Mike Lee, Utah

Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry

Saxby Chambliss, Ga.

Richard Lugar, Ind.

Thad Cochran, Miss.

Mitch McConnell, Ky.

Pat Roberts, Kan.   

Mike Johanns, Neb.

John Boozman, Ark.

Chuck Grassley, Iowa

John Thune, S.D.

John Hoeven, N.D.

Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs

Richard Shelby, Ala.

Mike Crapo, Idaho

Bob Corker, Tenn.

Jim DeMint, S.C.

David Vitter, La.

Mike Johanns, Neb.

Pat Toomey, Penn.

Mark Kirk, Ill.

Jerry Moran, Kan.

Roger Wicker, Miss.

Commerce, Science, and Transportation

Kay Bailey Hutchison, Texas

Olympia Snowe, Maine

John Ensign, Nev.

Jim DeMint, S.C.

John Thune, S.D.

Roger Wicker, Miss.

Johnny Isakson, Ga.

Roy Blunt, Mo.

John Boozman, Ark.

Pat Toomey, Penn.

Marco Rubio, Fla.

Kelly Ayotte, N.H.

Energy and Natural Resources

Lisa Murkowski, Alaska

Richard Burr, N.C.

John Barrasso, Wyo.

Jim Risch, Idaho

Mike Lee, Utah

Rand Paul, Ky.

Dan Coats, Ind.

Rob Portman, Ohio

John Hoeven, N.D.

Bob Corker, Tenn.

Environment and Public Works

Jim Inhofe, Okla.

David Vitter, La.

John Barrasso, Wyo.

Jeff Sessions, Ala.

Mike Crapo, Idaho

Lamar Alexander, Tenn.

Mike Johanns, Neb.

John Boozman, Ark.

Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs

Susan Collins, Maine

Tom Coburn, Okla.

Scott Brown, Mass.

John McCain, Ariz.

Ron Johnson, Wis.

John Ensign, Nev.

Rob Portman, Ohio

Rand Paul, Ky.

Judiciary

Jeff Sessions, Ala.

Orrin Hatch, Utah

Chuck Grassley, Iowa

Jon Kyl, Ariz.

Lindsey Graham, S.C.

John Cornyn, Texas

Mike Lee, Utah
Tom Coburn, Okla.

Health, Education, Labor and Pensions

Mike Enzi, Wyo.

Lamar Alexander, Tenn.

Richard Burr, N.C.

Johnny Isakson, Ga.

Rand Paul, Ky.

Orrin Hatch, Utah

John McCain, Ariz.

Pat Roberts, Kan.

Lisa Murkowski, Ala.

Mark Kirk, Ill.

Aging

Bob Corker, Tenn.

Susan Collins, Maine

Orrin Hatch, Utah

Mark Kirk, Ill.

Jerry Moran, Kan.

Ron Johnson, Wis.

Kelly Ayotte, N.H.

Richard Shelby, Ala.

Lindsey Graham, S.C.

Saxby Chambliss, Ga.

Budget

Chuck Grassley, Iowa

Mike Enzi, Wyo.

Jeff Sessions, Ala.

Mike Crapo, Idaho

John Ensign, Nev.

John Cornyn, Texas

Lindsey Graham, S.C.

John Thune, S.D.

Rob Portman, Ohio

Pat Toomey, Penn.

Ron Johnson, Wis.

Ethics

Johnny Isakson, Ga.

Pat Roberts, Kan.

Jim Risch, Idaho

Indian Affairs

John Barrasso, Wyo.

John McCain, Ariz.

Lisa Murkowski, Alaska

John Hoeven, N.D.

Mike Crapo, Idaho

Mike Johanns, Neb.

Intelligence

Saxby Chambliss, Ga.

Olympia Snowe, Maine

Richard Burr, N.C.

Jim Risch, Idaho

Dan Coats, Ind.

Roy Blunt, Mo.

Marco Rubio, Fla.

Joint Economic Committee

Jim DeMint, S.C.

Dan Coats, Ind.

Mike Lee, Utah

Pat Toomey, Penn.

Rules and Administration

Mitch McConnell, Ky.

Thad Cochran, Miss.

Saxby Chambliss, Ga.

Kay Bailey Hutchison, Texas

Lamar Alexander, Tenn.

Pat Roberts, Kan.

Richard Shelby, Ala.

Roy Blunt, Mo.

Small Business

Olympia Snowe, Maine

David Vitter, La.

Jim Risch, Idaho

Marco Rubio, Fla.

Rand Paul, Ky.

Kelly Ayotte, N.H.

Mike Enzi, Wyo.

Scott Brown, Mass.

Jerry Moran, Kan.

Veterans Affairs

Richard Burr, N.C.

Johnny Isakson, Ga.

Roger Wicker, Miss.

Mike Johanns, Neb.

Scott Brown, Mass.

Jerry Moran, Kan.

John Boozman, Ark.

Two environmental laws cleared Congress today, and supporters anticipate the president will sign them.

One is a reauthorization of a program that sets voluntary grant and loan programs to upgrade and modernize old diesel engines so that they emit less soot and smog-forming nitrogen oxides. The EPA estimates the U.S. has about 11 million older diesel trucks, buses and equipment in use today.

Congress still must approve the funding. If it does, the Diesel Emissions Reduction Act would provide $500 million in grants and loans over five years. Brooke Suter, national director of the diesel cleanup campaign for Clean Air Task Force said in a statement that the measure would create about 10,000 jobs and improve public health by reducing black carbon.

The other bill bans the practice of cutting of the fins of sharks and throwing the dead or dying sharks overboard (story today here). Millions of sharks are caught every year just for their fins for Chinese shark-fin soup.

The legislation closes a loophole in a previous law that allowed shark finning at sea when the fins were transferred to a non-fishing vessel. Supporters say it will make it easier for fishery officials to identify how many sharks are caught and what species are taken so that they can make sure that quotas for shark catches aren't exceeded.

When John Boehner heads home, he'll do it like his constituents--in a commercial airplane.

The presumptive Speaker of the House said Wednesday he won't follow the lead of predecessors Nancy Pelosi and Dennis Hastert, who have used military aircraft to fly home. Pelosi lives in San Francisco and Hastert is from northern Illinois.

Boehner lives in Ohio. "Over the last 20 years, I have flown back and forth to my district on commercial aircraft," he told a Capitol news conference, "and I am going to continue to do that."

Farooque Ahmed, 34, of Ashburn, Va., thought he was working al Qaida as he gathered photos and diagrams of Metro stations in the Washington suburb. Instead, he was delivering the materials to FBI agents. On Tuesday, a grand jury indicted Ahmed, a naturalized citizen from Pakinstan, on charges of attempting to provide material support to a designated terrorist organization, collecting information to assist in planning a terrorist attack on a transit facility, and attempting to provide material support to help carry out multiple bombings to cause mass casualties at D.C.-area Metrorail stations. He was arrested Wednesday, according to the FBI press release.

The FBI said the public was never in danger, but that the case was a reminder that Northern Virginia may harbor possible terrorists. “Today’s case underscores the need for continued vigilance," the press release quoted David Kris, the assistant attorney general for national security as saying.

The sting recalls last year's arrest of Hosam Smadi in Dallas for plotting to bomb that city's 60-story Fountain Place building. Smadi pushed the button he thought would detonate the bomb, which was a fake constructed by the FBI. Last week, Smadi, who's from Jordan, was sentenced to 24 years in prison.

Smadi was discovered by the FBI during their monitoring of what's described as an Islamist website. No immediate word on how Ahmed was discovered.

The arrest comes as the FBI is puzzling over shooting incidents in recent weeks at the Marine Museum and the Pentagon that are connected.

The Obama administration today announced the start of the long process of setting new fuel efficiency standards for the model years 2017-25. It signaled that it's looking at a range of an average fleet mileage of 47 mph to 62 mph by 2025.

Environmental groups are pushing for the 60 mpg range. That would "dramatically enhance America’s national security by reducing our dependence on oil and combating climate change," said a statement by Operation Free, a veterans group that advocates for clean energy policies.

Yesterday the governors of eight states wrote to President Obama calling for a 60 mpg average by 2025. They wrote that the country every day sends $1 billion overseas for oil and argued it could be better used at home.

The eight were Govs. David Patterson of New York; Martin O'Malley of Maryland; John Baldacci of Maine; Deval Patrick of Massachusetts; Theodore Kulongoski of Oregon; Bill Richardson of New Mexico; Edward Rendell of Pennsylvania; and Christine Gregoire of Washington.

The Obama administration on Thursday will release a proposal for new fuel standards for vehicles in 2017-25.

Environmental and consumer groups are asking the administration to set the 2025 standard at a fleet-wide average of 60 mpg. That’s up from the 35.5 mpg standard set this year for 2016.

The Consumer Federation of America argues that 60 mpg is technically feasible, consumer-friendly and a way to reduce dependence on oil. It posted a new survey today that found 59 percent agreed to a federal requirement for a 60 mpg standard, and 37 percent opposed it.

President Obama called for the 2017-2025 standards in a memorandum in May. He didn’t suggest any specific targets then. The memorandum instead said the plan for higher gas mileage should make “substantial annual progress in reducing transportation sector greenhouse gas emissions and fossil fuel consumption” and should do that through increased domestic production.

Environmental groups also asked the president for a 35 percent reduction in fuel consumption for long-haul trucks. They wrote in a letter to him earlier this month that the tougher fuel standards for cars and trucks would save 49 billion gallons of fuel and 535 million metric tons of heat-trapping carbon pollution.

Dave McCurdy, president and CEO of the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers said automakers hadn't even reached the 2016 goal yet. "Clearly we live in a period of extreme political volatility, and some groups are promoting their political wish list prior to the elections. Instead of plucking numbers out of the air, we should base policy on science and expert reviews of all the factors, like affordability of technology, availability of low-carbon fuels and the state of the electric infrastructure.”