Since winning control of Congress nearly three years ago, there's been lots of talk from Republicans about eliminating racial preferences. The GOP has little to show for its efforts, but that could soon change. Rep. Asa Hutchinson and Sen. Mitch McConnell are set to introduce amendments to the highway bill eliminating the 10 percent set-aside that steers federal funds to "disadvantaged" (minority-owned) contractors. The highway bill is notorious for being larded with pork, thus the logic behind the Hutchinson/McConnell effort: If you're going to feed at the trough, it shouldn't be based on the color of your snout.
Success won't come easily, as highlighted by an incident last week. Hutchinson was one of a few committee members planning to introduce amendments at a Transportation subcommittee meeting. But when the subcommittee chairman, Tom Petri, learned of the amendments, he held a quick voice vote on the $ 103 billion highway bill at a time when Hutchinson and other members sympathetic to him were not present. Hutchinson now plans to take the matter up this week at a meeting of the full Transportation committee. There he will encounter an even more formidable opponent: Bud Shuster. Shuster professes opposition to racial preferences in principle, but doesn't want any principles to get in the way of passing the highway bill.
McConnell is likely to encounter the same buzzsaw when he introduces his amendment early next month. The willingness of Republicans -- Senate GOP leader Trent Lott in particular -- to fight against racial preferences will offer a clue as to whether the party intends to pursue a spirited conservative agenda for the next year.