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Congress appears poised to send a simple two-month extension to President Obama before they leave town for their Memorial Day recess. This short-term extension funds highway & transit programs through July 31, allowing Congress to pass a bill without finding additional money to fund the Highway Trust Fund, which is set to run out of money later this summer. The House of Representatives has already passed the extension by a vote of 387-35 with one member voting present. The Senate is expected to pass the bill by voice vote. Members of Congress must now work over the next eight weeks to identify additional revenue for the trust fund to pay for a 5- or 6-year reauthorization of the highway and transit bill. The Senate Finance and the House Ways and Means Committees are charged with that task and their respective Chairman, Orrin Hatch (R-Ore.) and Paul Ryan (R-Wisc.) have indicated their desire to use this time to provide a short-term Highway Trust Fund patch to the end of 2015. They feel the end of the year will provide a better opportunity to couple funding for a surface transportation bill with a larger tax package. Other members of Congress – including Senate Commerce Committee Chairman John Thune (R-S.D.) – have indicated their desire to address funding for a long-term bill over the next two months. AGC has consistently advocated for an immediate fix to the Highway Trust Fund that would provide sustainable and growing revenue for a long-term surface transportation reauthorization bill. The two-month extension provides AGC and our members the opportunity to continue to deliver that message to members of the House and Senate through the Hardhats for Highways (focused on contractors) and Drive Better Roads (focused on drivers) campaigns. For more information, please contact Sean O’Neill at oneills@agc.org or (202) 547-8892. Return to Top |
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