As federal transportation programs face another funding cutoff, uncertainty is clouding prospects for a long-term bill. House and Senate negotiators have struggled for weeks to work out a multiyear successor to the Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century. The conference hit a bump July 12 when a meeting scheduled for the next day was postponed.
The Senate side wanted House conferees to make a funding offer, but they apparently werent ready. The conference Chairman, Sen. James Inhofe (R-Okla.), called off the session until the House had time to come up with a proposal, says Will Hart, spokesman for the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, which Inhofe chairs.