Reid: Republicans will drag their feet on highway funding

Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) slammed Republicans on Wednesday, suggesting that his colleagues across the aisle “will drag their feet” on a long-term highway bill.

“This is straight out of the Republicans’ playbook, manufactured crisis playbook,” the Democratic leader said. “Republicans will drag their feet until the very last minute, refusing to work with us on a long-term solution to our nation’s infrastructure woes. And then, when the deadline is imminent, the Republican leader will offer yet another short-term extension to stave off another disaster of his own making.”

Democrats on Tuesday said they are giving Republicans 45 days to reach a long-term highway funding deal.

Reid added on Wednesday that Republicans “have refused to work” with Democrats on a long-term bill, saying that “Republicans see the federal highway program and trust fund as a sort of hot potato: stay away from it, it should never be dealt with.”

Democrats want to committees to pass a long-term bill by July 10, with legislation coming to the Senate floor by July 20, according to a letter Reid and Democratic Sens. Dick Durbin (Ill.), Charles Schumer (N.Y.), Patty Murray (Wash.), Barbara Boxer (Calif.), Ron Wyden (Ore.), Bill Nelson (Fla.) and Sherrod Brown (Ohio) sent to Republican Leader Mitch McConnell (Ky.) on Tuesday.

Asked about the timeline on Monday, Sen. James Inhofe (R-Okla.), who is leading work on a long-term bill, said, “Yeah, well that sounds good to me.”

The Senate Environment and Public Works Committee is expected to mark up a six-year transportation bill on June 24.

Reid said that based on the Senate’s current schedule, lawmakers will have 15 days to reauthorize the highway legislation, adding that McConnell must “abandon his policy of governing by crisis.”

The current highway funding measure, passed last month, expires at the end of July.