Highway Trust Fund fix still in limbo

Another attempt to give life to the Highway Trust Fund fix has failed. The Senate attempted to take up the “extenders” legislation, which included a provision to provide the revenue necessary to fix the Highway Trust Fund and prevent a potential 34% cut in federal highway funds to states in FY 2009. The legislation is a conglomeration of a number of disparate bills, including the extension of numerous tax provisions that expire this year.

A 51-43 vote on a procedural motion kept the bill from moving forward. The move required a 60-vote support. The vote was largely along partisan lines, with a few Republican defectors voting in support, but the vote had little to do with the HTF fix. Republican opposition is aimed primarily at provisions in the bill that would increase certain taxes to offset the revenue losses that would result from extending other tax provisions into the future.

Senate Finance Chairman Max Baucus (D-Mont.) expressed little hope of a bipartisan deal before Congress adjourns for its August recess.