With the July 31, 2015 deadline for extending highway programs approaching, the House and Senate remain at odds over a path forward. The House has already passed a five-month extension through mid-December. The Senate, meanwhile, continues to work on passing a longer term bill. The Senate bill currently includes funding for three years and policy for six. However, time is running out to get the measure through the Senate and over to the House for consideration before the House adjourns for the August recess. Senate Majority Leader McConnell (R-KY) has indicated that the Senate may work through the weekend in order to pass the bill. However, even if the Senate is able to pass the bill, which faces opposition and road blocks from both sides of the aisle, leadership in the House has not been supportive of simply accepting the Senate proposal. It is more likely that, regardless of whether or not the Senate passes the longer term bill, the body will have to pass the House’s short term extension.
