As the Senate prepares to vote on a House-passed two-month transportation funding extension as early as May 21, on the other side of the Capitol, Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) criticized Republican leaders for not taking a closer look at the Highway Trust Fund.

House Republicans on May 19 garnered plenty of support for a two-month extension of highway funding authority, even as a pesky cadre of Democrats criticized their efforts.

Rep. Peter DeFazio (D-Ore.), the chamber’s top Democrat on the transportation policy panel, introduced President Obama’s transportation plan as legislation on the same day the House voted on a two-month funding patch for highway programs.

Last week’s deadly Amtrak crash was a reminder that lawmakers need to focus on restoring the country’s aging infrastructure, New Jersey Democrat Sen. Cory Booker said on Meet the Press on May 17.

The House Rules Committee has scheduled a hearing on a measure sponsored by the leaders of the tax-writing and transportation policy panels that would extend highway funding authority through July.

Assessing the political landscape on Capitol Hill, Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx told government and business leaders May 14 that Congress is not close to passing a six-year highway bill.

WASHINGTON — A way for Congress to ensure long-term funding for the country's highway system would be to approve a 10-cent gas tax increase and index the tax to inflation, former Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood told Transport Topics May 13.