By Siobhan Hughes | The Wall Street Journal
The Senate cleared a three-month highway spending bill in a 91-4 vote that allows Congress to avoid a cutoff of transportation funds set to occur on Saturday and give lawmakers time to develop the sort of multiyear package they haven’t been able to pass in years.
President Barack Obama is expected to sign the bill, which the House approved on Wednesday.
With the longer-term in mind, the Senate also passed by 65-34 a bill that would continue highway programs for six years. That measure would likely serve as the Senate’s opening volley in what are expected to be contentious negotiations with the House this fall, when lawmakers return from a recess.
