Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer walking through the Capitol building on Sept. 30.
The Senate passed a 30-day, short-term extension of federal highway programs on Saturday, sending the legislation to President Biden, who is expected to sign.
Why it matters: Roughly 3,700 Transportation Department employees were temporarily furloughed after Congress failed to reauthorize the programs because Republicans rejected the legislation on Friday.
- The Senate's passage of the bill and Biden's expected signature will ensure that those federal employees will no longer be furloughed.
- The House unanimously passed the short-term extension on Friday night.
The big picture: The $1 trillion, bipartisan infrastructure package includes funding that would authorize the programs for a longer amount of time, but that legislation is now stalled in the House because of debate over the $3.5 trillion reconciliation package.
Go deeper: Biden floats roughly $2 trillion price tag for reconciliation