Dive Brief:
- The Highway Trust Fund, teetering along with inadequate funding, took a detour on the road to recovery when the Senate voted Wednesday for a shorter "patch" than what the House had already approved.
- The Senate wants to put $8 billion into the trust fund to get it through December after it essentially runs out of money for any new projects by the end of next month, differing from the House's $10.8 billion plan to go through May.
- Both chambers are supposed to leave at this week's end for a month-long recess.
Dive Insight:
Neither plan would fix the basic problem of the fund getting less income from fuel taxes than it needs to spend for roads and bridges, so there will have to be another fix. The difference is that the Senate's plan would force the issue after the elections but before any changes in the power balance happen. The House plan would give Congress time to get new members seated and Republicans there are very much hoping to win control of the Senate in November.