Senate negotiators reach agreement on 6-year highway bill; rank-and-file

Democrats complained they’d had only an hour to read the 1,040-page bill.

Hillary Clinton fired back at Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) on Monday after he accused her of playing the “gender card” during her presidential campaign.

McConnell and Boxer has said they have been negotiating on a potential package of payment methods that could be used to fund a multi-year transportation bill. The agreement was the clearest sign yet of the Senate’s determination to secure long-term infrastructure funding for roads, bridges and railways, after a similar effort in the House of Representatives failed last week.

“You’re taking money and there’s no connection between small banks, medium-sized banks and building highways and transit and you’re going to weaken the banking system”. Lawmakers came up with $9 billion of the total by agreeing to sell 101 million barrels of oil from the nation’s emergency stockpile over a seven-year period through fiscal 2025.

The House vote was 312-119, and the additional $8 billion in funding comes from changes to the tax system and by capturing revenue from airport security fees. Barbara Boxer (D-CA), ranking member of the Committee on Environment & Public Works. Democrats, meanwhile, could try to add in auto-safety provisions rejected by the Senate Commerce Committee. The trucking industry says the government’s methodology for the ratings is flawed. Without an infusion of cash, the balance in the federal Highway Trust Fund is forecast to drop by the end of the month below $4 billion, the minimum cushion needed to keep money flowing to states without interruption.

The House last week passed a measure to finance highway projects until December 18 while Republicans seek a longer-term deal.

“This is a six-year highway authorization that will allow planning for important long-term projects around the country, and the bill provides three years of guaranteed funding for the highway trust fund”, McConnell said in a statement announcing the agreement.

“I think the Senate should take up our short term bill as is and pass that”, he said.

On Tuesday, Mr. McCarthy said he would withhold judgment until he was more familiar with the Senate bill, but said that a highway bill should be “actually paid for”. The uncertainty over federal aid has caused several states to delay or shelve transportation projects.