With current federal transportation policy expiring on March 31, House and Senate recesses this week leave only 16 legislative days to craft some sort of transportation deal.
Ben Goldman provides an update on the progress of each bill, and the dwindling options for funding transportation beyond the current bill's expiration. Last week, amid speculation that Boehner did not have the votes to pass his party's bill, the House split its transportation bill into three parts in a bid to push forward the legislation. Meanwhile, the once bipartisan supported Senate bill has been bogged down in the amendment process.
In surveying the options for an end game, Goldman believes that, "the ball is largely in John Boehner's court. The man who bet big on attacking transit can continue pushing his chamber to the right, eroding the chances his bill will pass and essentially forcing an extension. Or he can fall on his sword, scrap his extreme transportation plan, and follow the Senate's example by making concessions - on transit funding, say - to Democrats and moderate Republicans."
FULL STORY: Transpo Bills Delayed in House and Senate as Congress Enters Recess
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