House Rules to consider highway bill

The House Rules Committee is scheduled to consider a short-term extension of highway funding on Tuesday afternoon, paving the way for the chamber to vote on the measure as soon as Wednesday.

Ways and Means Chairman Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) and Transportation Chairman Bill Shuster (R-Pa.) rolled out the plan to fund highways through Dec. 18 on Monday. 

{mosads}The House is seeking to preempt the Senate on highway funding, to try to block efforts to restore the Export-Import Bank and to give lawmakers a shot at crafting an overhaul of the international tax system this fall that would also include long-term funding for highways.

The Senate wants to fund highway projects at least through the 2016 elections, and are discussing potential offsets for such a plan at their Tuesday lunch, according to aides. House Republicans acknowledge that the Senate could easily attach a reauthorization of the Export-Import Bank to their short-term highway bill, and want to act quickly to make sure they have a chance to respond.

The House’s $8 billion package to fund highways for the rest of the year mostly contains tax compliance measures, and an extension of Transportation Security Administration fees. 

House Republicans rejected those sort of tax compliance provisions when Congress debated highway funding last year. But GOP lawmakers acknowledged Tuesday that having offsets with bipartisan support would allow them to more quickly pass a measure and send it to the Senate.