GOP eyes extending transportation funding under normal House rules

{mosads}Republicans are planning to hold a vote on the latest highway extension under normal House rules, so only GOP votes would be required to pass it.

From there, Republicans will hope Democrats in the Senate will accept the short-term extension and pass it.

A key ally of House Speaker John Boehner, Rep. Steven LaTourette (R-Ohio), told reporters Wednesday that the GOP’s strategy seems to be to “pray the Senate doesn’t call our bluff.”
 
A spokesman for Boehner (R-Ohio) said Wednesday that the fate of the extension of transportation funding “would be up to Democratic leadership.”

“It’s their choice as to whether to work in a bipartisan fashion, or play political games with our country’s economy,” Boehner spokesman Michael Steel said in a statement.

House Democrats responded to the news of the latest GOP highway extension by petitioning the chamber’s Rules Committee to allow consideration of the Senate’s $109 billion version of the transportation measure.

“We understand that the Committee on Rules may schedule an emergency meeting to mark up a rule for consideration of H.R. 4276, the ‘Surface Transportation Extension Act of 2012,’ later today,” Reps. Nick Rahall (D-W.Va.), Peter DeFazio (D-Ore.), Corrine Brown
(D-Fla.) and Tim Bishop (D-N.Y.) wrote in a letter to Rules Committe
Chairman David Drier (R-Calif.).

“It is far past the time to stop the political games and brinksmanship which have forced states to delay bid lettings and projects,” the Democratic lawmakers wrote. “We urge you to allow the House of Representatives to work its will: allow an up-or-down vote on this amendment.”

—Russell Berman contributed to this report.