Congress approved a measure to extend federal transportation funding for three weeks, reports The Hill, extending spending until Nov. 20 and preventing a shutdown in funding on Thursday.
According to The Hill, Obama has rallied against short-term transportation funding patches in the past, but he’s expected to sign the bill in order to prevent an interruption in the nation’s road funding ahead of the busy holiday travel season.
Lawmakers in the House and Senate say this three-week patch will give them time to finish work on a long-term highway bill.
“This three-week extension will allow the House and Senate to go conference on our bipartisan long-term bill and get that signed into law before Nov. 20,” says Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.).
The Senate already passed a six-year highway bill in July, but the measure only includes three years’ worth of guaranteed funding. Similarly, the House has worked on a six-year, $325 billion transportation bill that also only contains three years of guaranteed funding. According to The Hill, the House’s bill would cut off the nation’s infrastructure spending in three years if Congress does not come up with a way to pay for the rest of the spending.
The short-term bill also extends a Dec. 31 deadline for railroads to install an automated train navigation system – known as positive train control – to the end of 2018.
Congress has not passed a transportation funding bill lasting longer than two years since 2005, adds The Hill.
