McConnell signals Senate will pick up House highway bill

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) on Tuesday signaled the Senate will take up the House’s three-month highway bill.

“We’ll see when we get it, and we’ll see how quickly we can take it up,” he told reporters in response to a question about when the measure would get a vote in the Senate.

{mosads}House Republicans earlier on Tuesday said they would pass the short-term extension and then leave Washington for the August recess on Wednesday. 

The Senate is continuing its work on a six-year funding bill, which the House has shown little interest in taking up. 

McConnell cast the three-month bill as an effort by the House to move toward adopting their own long-term highway funding bill, which could then be considered in conference with the Senate.

The House “has decided to process a multi-year highway bill of their own” which would then go to conference with the Senate’s bill, he said. 

Other GOP Senate leaders made similar comments.

Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) said “we’re pleased that they seem to agree with us that a multi-year highway bill is important,” while Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.) told reporters the House wouldn’t have taken the step if the Senate hadn’t pushed to do a long-term bill.

This story was updated at 3:41 p.m.