Senate ready to trash 18-month highway funding extension

The Senate appears to be lighting a match to its proposed 18-month funding extension of the highway bill and is now working out a six-month deal.

An industry official said that the Senate essentially gave up its fight for the White House-endorsed 18-month plan, which has been facing a decline in support over the last few weeks. The six-month funding extension was recently touted by Sen. George Voinovich (R-Ohio), who said he would have blocked the passage of an 18-month bill, because the highway and transit programs are too vital to the economy for any further delay in Congressional action.

The six-month Senate possibility still clashes with the three-month funding extension passed by the House on Sept. 23. Transportation programs are currently living off a one-month extension that expires on Oct. 31. Congress is ready to pass another stopgap soon while appropriators finish the FY 2010 spending bills.