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Oct 1, 2021 - Politics & Policy

Senate will try passing short-term highway funding bill after GOP protest

Shawna Chen
Photo of Chuck Schumer and Ron Wyden in suits walking in the hall

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) and Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) arrive for a news conference at the U.S. Capitol. Photo: Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty Images

The Senate will attempt to pass a 30-day, short-term extension of federal highway programs on Saturday after Republicans prevented the chamber from clearing the stopgap bill on Friday night.

Why it matters: Roughly 3,700 Transportation Department employees have been temporarily furloughed as a result of the roadblock, per Reuters. The deadline to reauthorize the programs expired at midnight on Thursday.

  • The House's stalemate on the Senate-passed infrastructure bill forced members of the Senate's Environment and Public Works Committee to discuss the possibility of passing a short-term reauthorization earlier this week, according to the Hill.
  • The measure sailed through the House in a 365-51 vote on Friday night, but Senate Republicans objected to quick passage.
  • The Senate will reconvene at 1:30 p.m. on Saturday to try to send the bill to President Biden's desk.
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