Spending bill would extend highway law by a year

Until Monday, Congress was also far apart on the highway bill as well, though lawmakers were increasingly signaling a willingness to extend current law as Sept. 30 approached.

Previous legislation

The Senate Environment and Public Works Committee last year unanimously approved a $287 billion, five-year surface transportation bill, but the full Senate has not yet taken up the measure.

The House, meanwhile, passed a five-year, $494 billion bill on July 20, but without Republican support. 

“While we had hoped to reach an agreement between the House and the Senate this year on a modern, multi-year surface transportation bill that moves our country forward, the single most important factor right now is providing certainty to states and local governments that are under the strain of both the pandemic and the resulting economic downturn,” said House Transportation and Infrastructure Chairman Peter A. DeFazio, D-Ore. 

He vowed to work on a “long-term, transformational bill that significantly boosts investment in our surface transportation network and moves our transportation systems into the 21st century.”