House to Vote on Two-Month Highway Fund Patch

The House is considering legislation that would extend funding authority for highway programs through July.

The House Rules Committee on May 18 voted 9-4 to pave the way for floor consideration of the legislation sponsored by Ways and Means Chairman Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) and Transportation and Infrastructure Chairman Bill Shuster (R-Pa.).

The bill, which is expected to pass the chamber, would extend funding authority for federal-aid highway, highway safety, motor carrier safety, transit and other programs funded out of the Highway Trust Fund through July 31.

WATCH LIVE: House debates extension

"Today we will reluctantly go along" with the two-month patch, Rep. Peter DeFazio (D-Ore.) said on the floor May 19 after lamenting yet another patch that doesn't produce a long-term solution.

Funding authority for highway programs expires May 31. With Congress leaving town this week to observe the Memorial Day holiday, members have a few legislative days to report the bill to the White House before the May deadline.

Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah), the chamber’s top tax policy writer, endorsed the House bill on May 18, signaling support from other GOP leaders.

“We’re going to be here again in two months, facing the exact same problem, because, unless someone has $90 billion just lying around, a long-term highway solution isn’t going to simply materialize between now and July. Don’t get me wrong, fixing it in December was going to be difficult as well, but, in the end, it will likely take at least that long to find a solution that has a chance of passing through both chambers,” Hatch said.