McCarthy rules out OK of Senate highway bill

This much is clear: The House will completely ignore the Senate-passed highway bill.

“We’re not taking up the Senate bill,” House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy vowed Monday afternoon.


But what’s less clear is what the House will do to keep the Highway Trust Fund up and running after its spending authority runs out Friday, just as the monthlong August recess sets in on Capitol Hill.

Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) and McCarthy (R-Calif.) have a few options, which they will discuss in a Monday afternoon Republican leadership meeting. They could sit on their hands, and try to force the Senate to pass the five-month extension the House passed earlier this month. Or they could try to jump-start the process by considering a two- or three-month bill — a move that’s being actively considered by congressional leaders.

There are upsides and perils to both approaches. A short-term highway patch is risky, because it could kick this debate into September, a frantic 12-day period during which Congress will also have to consider legislation to avert a government shutdown and a bill to weigh in on President Barack Obama’s nuclear deal with Iran. Not to mention, Pope Francis will be visiting Capitol Hill Sept. 24.

A short-term deal is also unlikely to include a renewal of the Export-Import Bank, which would allow Republican leaders to avoid a messy fight before leaving for the summer.

House Republican leaders say a five-month bill would allow the House and Senate to formally negotiate their differences on highway policy before the end of the year.

“When you look at a two- to three- month bill, it almost costs you the same as five months,” McCarthy said. “So why if you already have it sitting in the Senate, and it’s clean, why wouldn’t you take that.”

House leaders have to decide quickly. The chamber is slated to leave town by Thursday.