Secretary Anthony Foxx: ‘So Far Away From Having a 6-Year Bill’
Assessing the political landscape on Capitol Hill, Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx told government and business leaders May 14 that Congress is not close to passing a six-year highway bill.
His comments came a day after Senate transportation authorizers said they will mark up a six-year surface transportation measure in July.
“We are so far away from having a six-year bill. We’ve had 32 short-term extensions over the last six years that getting a six-year bill would be a giant leap from where we’ve been in the last six years,” Foxx said during a teleconference hosted by Business Forward as part of Infrastructure Week. The group advocates for investments in infrastructure projects that lead to jobs.
Notwithstanding the July markup, lawmakers are expected to approve a short-term fix prior to a May 31 transportation funding deadline to ensure states continue to receive federal assistance. A group of Senate Democrats is pushing a two-month patch, and GOP leaders will announce a patch that runs through December.
