Efforts by the Senate to pass a six-year highway bill have stalled. Instead, the House is scheduled to vote today on another short-term extension and then leave town for its five-week August Break.
If approved, it will be the 34th short-term extension since 2009, but Missouri Republican Senator Roy Blunt says it will likely be the last, for years to come. He says both the House and Senate are committed to using this extension to work out details for a five or six year highway bill.
One short-coming of the Senate bill was that it only guaranteed payment for the first three years. Blunt says lawmakers may now have time to craft a more comprehensive plan.
“I think that there’s an opportunity here to look at funding generally and maybe find one or two more long-term solutions than we found in the Senate bill,” Blunt said.
Congressional action is needed by Friday to keep the Highway Trust Fund operating.
