By John D. McKinnon | The Wall Street Journal
House lawmakers are preparing for a vote to extend federal highway spending into December, while Senate leaders are aiming for a longer-term solution in hopes of avoiding a year-end showdown.
With the program’s authorization expiring at the end of July, each chamber was scrambling to build support for its preferred plan, setting up a legislative skirmish that could occupy the rest of the month and test lawmakers’ ability to work together.
The federal government spent $96 billion on transportation infrastructure in 2014, according to the Congressional Budget Office. That’s a 21% decline from a high of $122 billion (in inflation-adjusted 2014 dollars) in 2002.
