The Senate Environment and Public Works Committee today, by a vote of 18-1, took the first legislative step today to extend the SAFETEA-LU, the current highway and transit spending law, which expires in September. This is in effort to prevent the Highway Trust Fund from becoming insolvent, while giving Congress more time to work on a full, six-year transportation authorization. This effort is a "clean" (without policy or technical changes) extension of funding for highways and other programs under the committee's jurisdiction, and authorizes a total of nearly $61.5 billion in spending for the next 18 months. The Senate Commerce and Banking committees, which oversee rail and transit provisions, respectively, will likewise need to pass their own extensions.
Nearly two weeks ago, the White House called for a $20 billion transfer to keep the Highway Trust Fund afloat through the duration of the 18-month extension. The EPW Committee's extension does not address the transfer, but the Senate Finance Committee is working on finding additional funding.
In the House, Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) has said she would prefer to pass a full bill, and Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chairman James Oberstar (D-MN) has pressed ahead with his six-year authorization bill, which he would like to move this summer. Chairman Oberstar has voiced his concerns with an 18-month extension, but has been examining a shorter extension option.
