Hopes are dimming that the upcoming surface transportation reauthorization bill, the legislation that undergirds America’s infrastructure, will become law before the current bill expires at the end of September, nine people familiar with the process told POLITICO.
Those people say that a short-term extension of existing authorities is expected.
The message being heard by lobbyists, Department of Transporation officials and congressional staffers is that expectations should be reined in, with some predicting that action on the bill might not come until next year. Thus far, no committee has produced bill text nor announced a date for a markup.
“Way behind,” one lobbyist told POLITICO, who, like others in this story, spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss private deliberations. “A lot more work to do and they’re signaling to us that it will be pushed to next spring.”
