PUT ALL THE LAZY "POS" THAT DON'T WANT TO WORK EARN THEIR FREE THINGS AND MAKE THEM BUILD THE HIGHWAYS OR THEY GET NOTHING!!!!! (OH WAIT, THE UNIONS WILL GET PISSED OFF)
Congress will try next week to stave off the exhaustion of the national fund that pays for roads and bridges.
Both chambers are set to hold hearings on the highway trust fund, which would run out of money by the end of July if Congress doesn't find more funding for it.
The hearings called by Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, and Rep. Paul Ryan, R-Wis., in the Senate Finance and House Ways and Means committees likely will focus on examining long-term solutions to the problem of funding highway infrastructure.
The trust fund, financed by the gasoline tax, has required numerous bailouts from general revenues in recent years, as inflation has chipped into the value of the 18.4-cents-a-gallon tax and Americans have turned to more fuel-efficient cars.
Top lawmakers have said that closing the long-term funding mismatch is a priority. House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi hinted on Friday, after scuttling a trade bill sought by President Obama, that a "robust highway bill" would be the price of her support.
A short-term patch, intended to buy a few more months for the trust fund, is the more likely outcome.
"I think we'll probably kick the can down the road again," Sen. Rob Portman, R-Ohio, said Wednesday.
At this point, a short-term reauthorization, possibly funded through some form of budget gimmickry, is most likely because there is little time left for a broader measure before the end of July.
But there is hope among lawmakers that later in the year there could be an agreement on a longer-term patch, if not an outright solution.
Some lawmakers have suggested plans that would eliminate recurring shortfalls.
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