Gas tax imperiled as House, Senate play 'infrastructure chicken' (LA Times)

[pinto]

Gas tax imperiled as House, Senate play 'infrastructure chicken'

By Richard Simon
March 29, 2012, 10:55 a.m.

Washington—
The House on Thursday approved a three-month extension of federal highway spending, daring the Senate to act before the government’s authority to collect gas taxes lapses Saturday at midnight and disrupts transportation projects.

Transportation officials are hopeful the Senate will follow suit rather than risk losing $110 million a day in gas tax revenues, slowing down projects and forcing the furlough of thousands of federal highway and transit workers. The measure, which passed the House 266-158, could come before the Senate later Thursday.

But as has become all too familiar in this Congress, arguing Democratic and Republican lawmakers needed to act just hours before a deadline, this time over an unlikely subject – transportation, which traditionally has enjoyed bipartisan support.

Democrats have urged the House to pass the Senate-approved, two-year $109-billion transportation bill, noting it drew bipartisan support.

http://www.latimes.com/news/politics/la-pn-gas-tax-imperiled-as-house-senate-play-infrastructure-chicken-20120329,0,4754100.story?track=rss&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+latimes%2Fnews%2Fpolitics+%28L.A.+Times+-+Politics%29