Todd Zwillich

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UPDATED WITH BARBARA BOXER'S STATEMENT  Congressional negotiators appear to be locking down an 18-month transportation bill-- just before current funding expires at the end of the week.

Final numbers on the developing deal are not yet available, and aides stress none of its provisions are final until the whole package is inked. But aides from both parties  confirmed key details for Transportation Nation, and Senator Barbara Boxer (D-CA) sent out an email indicating that it's basically a done deal.

“I am so glad that House Republicans met Democrats half way, as Senate Republicans did months ago," she wrote. “The bill is funded at current levels."

Politically-charged provisions forcing approval of the Keystone XL pipeline and rolling back EPA rules on coal ash will not be included in the final deal, according to aides. That could make it more difficult for House GOP leaders to secure votes for a final deal from Republicans, who have voted several times in favor of the measures and in many cases insisted on its inclusion in the highway bill.

In a concession by Democrats, extra money for land and water conservation looks to be left out of the deal. There are likely to be further reductions to transportation "enhancement" requirements forcing states to spend a certain portion of their highway funds on bike paths and other non-road projects.

Boxer's email referenced an agreement on the enhancement requirements.  "For the first time, we send half of the funds for bike paths and pedestrian walkways directly to local entities," she wrote, "and we protect those funds while giving states more flexibility on their share."

Republicans appear to have scored a victory on the pace of environmental reviews for projects. While the original Senate bill limited reviews to 15 years, the deal afoot among conferees limits reviews to eight years, aides said. The final deal also appears to include extra money for rural schools and for Gulf Coast states ravaged by Hurricane Katrina.

Lawmakers and aides are rushing to ink the deal and file it in the House before midnight Wednesday. That would allow the House to pass the agreement Friday and still comply with House Republicans' three-day preview requirement before bills can reach the floor. The transportation deal is likely to get paired up with a separate deal preventing a student loan rate hike.

Senate aides say it is unlikely senators would remain in town Friday to stamp the deal with an official vote. That means senators would have to have broad agreement to approve it by unanimous consent some time after the House acts.

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(UPDATED WITH SENATOR BOXER'S COMMENTS) The surface transportation bill appears to have been removed from life support and may be on the mend.

Positive statements are emanating all over the Capitol about House-Senate negotiations over surface transportation legislation. It was only days ago lawmakers on both sides of the aisle were pronouncing the deal dead and predicting another extension.

“The conferees have moved forward toward a bipartisan, bicameral agreement on a highway reauthorization bill. Both House and Senate conferees will continue to work with a goal of completing a package by next week,” reads a joint statement issued by chief negotiators Senator Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.) and Rep. John Mica (R-Fla.)

Speaking in the hallway of the Senate building Thursday afternoon, Boxer said the House and Senate are working cooperatively -- and getting along better than they were two weeks ago. "We are really finishing up our work," she said. "If all goes the way it's going now, we  should be through with most of the bill very soon, and then w'ell tackle the outstanding issues. I'm ... quite optimistic."

She added: "We'll be working over the weekend." (Listen to her comments below.)

"Significant progress is being made," Reid said. "We're certainly in better shape than we were 24 hours ago."

Of course, none of this necessarily means the conference will reach agreement. Lawmakers remain at odds over policy issues like environmental reviews for construction projects and so-called transportation "enhancement" projects like bike lanes and medians--not to mention political issues like a Republican bid to force construction of the Keystone XL pipeline and a repeal of EPA coal ash regulations.

If no agreement is reached by June 30th, the government's authority to spend money from the Highway Trust Fund expires.

Congressional leaders told negotiators involved in faltering transportation bill talks to bear down and make an agreement.

That was the message transmitted by lawmakers emerging from a meeting at Speaker John Boehner's Capitol offices on Tuesday afternoon. Chief GOP negotiator Rep. John Mica (R-Fla.) said Boehner and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) told lawmakers to "redouble our efforts" to try and reach an agreement by the end of this week.

Mica suggested negotiations are entering a final, critical stage. Other lawmakers have suggested that a six-month extension of current surface transportation policy will have to be drafted to prevent highway programs from shutting down June 30, when federal authority to spend money from the Highway Trust Fund expires.

"We're going to take it hour by hour," Mica said.

Mica said Boxer had offered new Senate proposals in the talks. But a House GOP leadership aide suggested Democrats have been unwilling to move far off of policy positions contained in the Senate bill, which passed in March with 74 votes.

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(UPDATED WITH HARRY REID'S COMMENTS) There are varying degrees of pessimism and cautious optimism in the US Capitol today as House and Senate negotiators huddle for a last try at agreement on a Highway Bill. But one lawmaker close to the House Republican leadership says conference negotiations have failed and that a six-month extension is afoot.

"Zero," said Rep. Steve LaTourette (R-Ohio), when asked about the chances of last-ditch conference negotiations yielding an agreement before next week. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.)  is set to meet with House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) at 4 PM today. Chief negotiators Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.) and Rep. John Mica (R-Fla.) are also scheduled to be in on the meeting. "The purpose is to come up with a clean extension" of six months, LaTourette said in an interview.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid disputed that assessment, saying it was not accurate that leaders are set to negotiate on a six-month extension this afternoon.

LaTourette's comments are in contrast to more optimistic statements from other negotiators who are trying to put the best light possible on the faltering talks. Indeed, nothing stops conference talks from producing a deal even while leaders are laying the groundwork for failure.

Republicans and Democrats are still at odds on several policy areas, including streamlining environmental reviews for road projects, transportation "enhancements" that push highway money toward bike paths and beautification projects, and program consolidations.

That's before leaders even tackle politically charged issues like the Keystone XL pipeline and EPA regulations governing coal ash.

Rep. Nick Rahall (D-W.Va) emerged from a Democrats-only meeting in the Capitol Tuesday to say none of the issues was insolvable. "I still rate it above 50%," Rahall said of the chances of an agreement before a June 30 deadline.

How far above 50%? "Fifty-one," he said.

Freshman negotiator Rep. James Lankford (R-Okla.) agreed with with Rahall's tepid assessment. "Everybody's staring at each other right now and waiting for someone to blink," he said.

LaTourette, meanwhile, suggested House and Senate leaders would start ironing out a 6-month highway bill extension that would hit the floor if and when conference negotiators fail. That agreement is likely to contain some extra money for river and harbor dredging programs in order to win over some balking Republicans, he said.

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Senators Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) and Barbara Boxer (D-CA) (photo by Todd Zwillich)

Senate negotiators tried to break an impasse with House Republicans over a surface transportation bill Tuesday, thought the proffer did little to quell a cross-Capitol war of words.

Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.), chair of the Senate-House conference committee trying to reach a transportation bill deal, told reporters she and Sen. James Inhofe (R-Okla.) sent the deal toward the house earlier in the day. Boxer said the offer was "very warmly received" but also acknowledged it skirted contentious political issues including building the Keystone XL oil sands pipeline and gutting new coal ash regs from the EPA.

Boxer dismissed reports from earlier in the day suggesting the conference was near collapse, and that another temporary extension would be needed to keep highway funding going past a June 30 deadline.

A spokesman for conference vice-chair Rep. John Mica (R-Fla.) said, "we will take a look at the proposal and discuss it with our conferees." It was a noncommittal response skirting the obvious: Time is running short to get a deal by the end of the month, and House conservatives are dead against agreeing to a transportation deal that doesn't go over President Barack Obama's head and force approval of the Keystone pipeline.

"We're going back and forth on all that stuff. I think in the final analysis it all has to be in there," said Sen. John Hoeven (R-N.D.), a Republican negotiator. On Boxer and Inhofe's offer, Hoeven said, "Let's just say we're still working on it."

Those issues could still be worked out. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid appeared to be helping quiet talk of a faltering conference Tuesday afternoon. Asked it negotiations were falling apart, Reid said, "I don't have any dire statement to give."

But then things got heated. "There's a battle going on between (House Speaker John) Boehner and (House GOP Leader Eric) Cantor as to whether or not there should be a bill," Reid told reporters. "Cantor, of course, I'm told by others that he wants to not do a bill to make the economy worse, because he feels that's better for them. I hope that that's not true," Reid continued.

The statement elicited swift and sharp reactions from House GOP leaders.

“Leader Reid’s claims are ridiculous and patently false.  Rather than making up stories that have no basis in reality, Leader Reid should follow the House’s example and focus on pro-growth measures that will get the economy going and get people back to work,” read a statement from a Cantor spokesperson.

Boehner spokesperson Michael Steel was less diplomatic about Reid's comments. “That’s bullshit.  House Republicans are united in our desire to get a sensible, reform-minded transportation bill done, including job-creating energy initiatives like Keystone.”

Aides to Reid did not clarify his statement. But one aide described Senate Democrats as "not pessimistic" about the chances of an agreement by June 30.

Earlier, Boxer said that issues outside the Senate offer, including Keystone, coal ash regulations, and financing changes, would have to be "worked out later."

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Senators Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) and Barbara Boxer (D-CA) (photo by Todd Zwillich)

(Washington, D.C.) Striking a decidedly feel-good tone on transportation legislation Wednesday, Democrats' chief negotiator painted herself optimistic about the chances of a House - Senate agreement before July 4th.

"I'm feeling good," Senate Environment and Public Works Chair Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.), told reporters on Capitol Hill.

Boxer praised talks with Republicans--and even the Republicans themselves--for steady progress. She's leading final House-Senate conference negotiations over surface transportation legislation that expires June 30th.

"I welcome a change of heart on behalf of Republicans that I feel we have now," Boxer said. She was referring to the basics of a 2-year, $109 billion Senate bill that passed with 74 bipartisan votes in March.

Boxer said both she and chief GOP negotiator Rep. John Mica (R-Fla.) agree on the desirability of a bill of even longer duration than the Senate bill. But therein lies the difficulty.While Boxer says that 80% of her EPW bill is already agreed to, that bill does not include some of the most contentious issues.

"I don't have any sicking points to share with you today," Boxer said. Even if the senator isn't sharing, that doesn't mean that sticking points aren't present.

How to pay for spending in the bill is a key issue with House conservatives, and one that aides say is not yet solved. So are the Keystone XL oil sands pipeline, a GOP demand to roll back EPA coal ash regulations, spending on bike lanes, parks and other so-called transportation "enhancements," and other issues.

Boxer said she spoke to House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) by phone Tuesday about the conference and that she was encouraged by the chat. Boehner released a statement saying he was “hopeful that the negotiators can complete work on a conference agreement that includes Keystone and other energy measures to address high gas prices and create jobs."

The statement went on to say Boehner expects "meaningful infrastructure reforms that ensure that taxpayer dollars are spent effectively and efficiently on roads and bridges across this country.”

"I there's a lot more than three or four or two hard issues," Boxer said. Last week House Republicans voted to demand the conference return and approve the Keystone pipeline. Boxer dismissed the importance of the vote as routine but added that discussions had begun on contentious areas like Keystone.

 

Senator Barbara Boxer

The chair of the congressional conference committee trying to get agreement on a transportation bill is cheerleading its chances, but she admits negotiators haven't yet touched the hard stuff.

Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.) took some time Tuesday to tell reporters how optimistic she is that House and Senate negotiators can find common ground on highway and surface transportation funding by a June 30th deadline. The conference kicked off last week.

"The process has been very inclusive and I expect that to produce a result," Boxer said. The Environment and Public Works Committee Chair said she's exercising an "open-door" policy with Republicans and Democrats so that everyone feels heard as the conference marches toward its deadline.

That includes, apparently, a meeting with the conference vice-chair Rep. John Mica (R-Fla.) scheduled for Thursday, where Boxer says other members are invited to attend.

Still, for all the enthusiasm, Boxer acknowledged that tough, partisan issues like GOP demands to repeal EPA's new coal ash rules and to include completion of the Keystone XL oils sands pipeline have not yet been discussed.

"We haven't gotten to the areas of disagreement," Boxer said. "We will."

Boxer has set about making her best case for the Senate's MAP-21 highway bill, which passed with 74 votes back in March. She's got a lot of Senate Republicans, and probably nearly all House Democrats on her side up against a House Republican position demanding program reforms, lower spending, Keystone, and the coal ash provisions. One big question is whether, in the end, Republican leaders' price for supporting the bill--likely to include Keystone--can get by Senate Democrats in a politically-charged election-year environment.

"I didn't hear anybody draw a line in the sand," Boxer said.

Congress has temporarily extended highway legislation nine times since it expired in 2009.

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(Photo (cc) by Flickr user Crazy George)

Republicans and Democrats from the House and Senate began their formal conference over surface transportation funding Tuesday, in a negotiation that could take up to a month and where tens of billions of dollars are at stake.

Lawmakers from both sides of the Capitol gathered in one of the Hill's largest hearings rooms to begin hashing out an agreement between the chambers. On the table: A two-year Senate bill worth $109 billion backed by a broad bipartisan vote, versus House demands to cut spending, reform federal projects, cut regulations and force approval of the Keystone XL oil sands pipeline.

The extension governing highway funding expires June 30. Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.) the champion of the Senate bill and the conference committee chair, told lawmakers they'll need to reach agreement by early June in order to get an agreement written and passed in time.

It won't be easy. Several tries left House Republicans unable to agree amongst themselves on a multi-year transportation policy. Meanwhile, many House conservatives consider the Senate bill a non-starter, largely because of its funding levels.

Now House Republicans begin the the conference at a distinct disadvantage. House and Senate Democrats are strongly behind the Senate bill, as are many Senate Republicans. The White House has also strongly backed the Senate's bid. SenatorJames Inhofe (R-Okla) leaned on House conservatives to accept the Senate's bill, which he helped craft with Boxer.

"I have every expectation we are going to be able to do that which the majority of Americans want done," he said.

House Republicans hold a few cards and are making some demands of their own. They want the Senate's $109 billion price tag reduced and are pushing hard to force the White House to accept final construction of the Keystone XL pipeline. They have also laid down markers repealing pending EPA coal ash pollution regulations.

"Let's not just spend more money. Let's have some serious reforms," urged Rep. John Mica (R-Fla.) the conference committee's vice-chair.

Boxer began the proceedings with a long list of lobbying and interest organizations that support the Senate bill, ranging from AAA and trucking groups to the AFL-CIO and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.

"If the AFL-CIO and the Chamber of Commerce can work together, then surely we can work together," she said, adding that "failure is not an option for us."

But the reality is that in the 112th Congress, failure is, in fact, an option. Leadership aides in the House and Senate predicted that the election-year talks would likely lead to an agreement rejected by House Republican rank-and-file members. That could force Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) to pass any final agreement with the help of large numbers of Democrats. Failing that, Congress can do what it's done nine times since 2005 and simply pass another extension of current law to avoid a shutdown.

(photo: Flickr user: IceNineJon)

UPDATED -- SENATE PASSES EXTENSION BY VOICE VOTE House Republicans made the best of a bad situation Thursday and easily passed a 90-day extension to the Highway Bill, sending it to the Senate just two days before a potential shutdown of federal transportation programs and a suspension of the gas tax.

The bill passed 266-158, in a broad bipartisan vote that largely diffuses--for the moment--a standoff with Senate Democrats.

Just hours later, the bill was passed by voice vote in the Senate, staving off a potential shutdown at Sunday's deadline. Senate Dems had been pushing hard for the House to accept a $109 billion, two-year Highway Bill the Senate passed with 74 votes earlier this month.

Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.), the Senate bill's main champion, fired off  a statement attacking the temporary measure and pledging to attempt to force the House to vote on the Senate bill before leaving for a 2-week recess this evening.

"I am working with my colleagues to attach the Senate bill to the 90-day stop gap extension and send it back to the House," Boxer's statement read.

Boxer did not prevail in that effort, however, and the Senate's vote extends existing funding until June 30, making it the  ninth extension of transportation legislation since 2009.

The bill now to the president for a signature and buys 3 months to come up with a Highway Bill that can first pass the House and then go up against the Senate bill for final negotiations. That hasn't happened after months of wrangling between House Republican leaders and rank and file conservatives.

The White House also sniffed at the House's efforts: "While it is critical that we not put American jobs and safety at risk and hurt our economic recovery by allowing funding to run out, it is not enough for us to continue to patch together our nation’s infrastructure future with short-term band-aids," spokesman Jay Carney said in a statement. "States and cities need certainty to plan ahead and America’s construction workers deserve the peace of mind that they won’t have to worry about their jobs every few months."

Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) told reporters Thursday that leaders were putting "final touches" on a GOP bill, complete with controversial energy production provisions that could include expanding oil drilling and fossil fuel exploration on federal lands including the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in Alaska.

"It'll be ready when we get back" from the upcoming Easter-Passover recess Boehner said.

Senate Democrats, meanwhile, while frustrated over the House Republicans' refusal to take up their bill, Thursday expressed confidence that they have the upper hand on the speaker as he continues to hunt for a Highway Bill that can get enough Republicans to pass the House.

"He's got to spend time on this" after months of already trying, and failing to pass a House bill, one senior leadership aide said.

House Transportation and Infrastructure Chairman Rep. John Mica (R-Fla.) told reporters after Thursday's House vote that the 90-day extension provides the breathing room lawmakers finally need to get a final deal.

"People want to get this bill done," he said.

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House Republicans now say they'll take another shot at temporarily extending the gas tax and other highway bill provisions, after watching their last two attempts falter earlier this week.

Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chairman John Mica (R-Fl.) told reporters off the House floor Wednesday he would reintroduce a 60-day extension, but that this time Republicans planned to bring it to the floor under a procedure requiring a simple 218-vote majority to pass. The vote is likely to come tomorrow, just before the House leaves on a two-week recess.

Minutes later, Mica returned to say he was "recalculating," and that he would also file a 90-day straight extension to the existing highway bill. Mica had talked it over with GOP leaders and said the 90-day extension is what he "was told to do." Republicans aides said part of the issue was that a 60-day extension would likely expire while Congress was out of town on the Memorial Day recess, complicating efforts to get a House-Senate agreement on a final Highway bill.

Twice already this week Republicans have had to yank extensions off the floor after trying to use an expedited procedure requiring a 2/3 majority for passage. Wednesday's move makes it easier to pass the bill because it requires just a simple majority. The bill would then go to the Senate, where Democrats have been pushing hard for House Republicans to pass the Senate's version of the legislation. Earlier this month the Senate passed a $109 billion, two-year Highway Bill with a 74-vote bipartisan majority.

Senate Democrats even trotted out the well-worn Washington device of a countdown clock, ticking down to midnight Saturday when existing authority to collect the 18.4-cent gas tax and fund highway and road projects expires.

Senate Dems have said they have no interest in an extension but have not gone as far as to say a temporary bill is off the table. That suggests a shutdown Saturday is highly unlikely.

Still, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) has not indicated that Democrats would accept either a 60- or 90-day extension, leaving open the possibility that it may not pass the Senate by this weekend. Rep. Steve LaTourette (R-Ohio) explained that Republicans strategy was to pass a temporary extension and the "pray that the Senate didn't call our bluff and things shut down next week."

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House Speaker John Boehner (photo by Todd Zwillich)

For the second straight day, House Democrats have foiled an attempt by Republicans to pass a temporary Highway Bill extension designed to avoid a suspension of the gas tax and a shutdown of highway programs March 31.

Republicans were forced to pull a 60-day extension from the House floor Tuesday afternoon after Democrats refused to support the bill. Republicans were using an expedited procedure requiring support from 2/3 of the chamber for passage. That's just a day after a 90-extension was yanked under similar circumstances.

Democrats are sticking to their position that the House should take up the two-year, $109 billion Highway Bill the Senate passed earlier this month with 74 votes. Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) warned House Republicans two weeks ago that they would have to accept the Senate bill -- or one similar to it -- unless they could reach agreement on their own broader measure. That never happened, and last week Boehner was back to panning the Senate bill.

Tuesday's move turns up the heat on House Republicans to either accept the Senate's bill or use a slower procedure for a temporary extension. The latter choice seems far more likely, as it will allow the Speaker to pass an extension with a bare majority of the House -- and avoid a revolt from conservatives unhappy with the Senate package.

There are a still a few days to go before current highway law (and the 18.4 cent gas tax feeding the Highway Trust Fund) expires. Michael Steel, a spokesman for Speaker Boehner, told Transportation Nation in an email, "There is only one reason this bill will not be voted on tonight:  House Democrats are playing political games with our nation’s economy.”

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(Washington, D.C.) House Republicans leaders scrapped plans to vote on a 90-day Highway Bill extension Monday evening after it was clear the measure lacked enough support to pass.

The move further complicates an already murky situation between the House and Senate just days before current highway legislation expires on March 31.

House Republicans had planned to pass a 90-day extension under an expedited procedure requiring 2/3 of the chamber's support. But Democrats balked at the extension. They favor a two-year, $109 billion bill that was passed with 74 votes by the Senate earlier this month. GOP leaders were forced to yank the measure from floor consideration when it became clear the 90-day extension lacked sufficient votes to pass.

"We are in the midst of bipartisan conversations about a short-term extension of the highway bill," said Michael Steel, a spokesperson for Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio). " To facilitate those conversations, the House vote on an extension will occur later this week rather than tonight."

Senate Democrats say they have no interest in a temporary extension, part of pressure tactics designed to get the House to accept the two-year bill. Still, Democrats haven't said that a temporary extension is off the table as a way to allow further House-Senate talks.

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House Republicans, still adrift on how to reauthorize national highway funding legislation, will now push a 3-month extension to avoid a shutdown of transportation programs after March 31.

The fact the GOP would move a temporary extension next week was confirmed yesterday . A statement from House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chairman John Mica (R-Fla.) issued today specified it would be a 3-month bill.

“Tomorrow, I will introduce a short-term extension through June 30^th to ensure continuity of current programs while I and House Republicans continue to work toward a responsible transportation bill that provides long-term certainty, reduces the size of government, eliminates earmarks, and is fully paid for. We continue to believe that linking energy and infrastructure is the responsible thing to do in order to meet our long-term needs,” the statement read.

Senate Democrats are busy talking tough while leaning on the House to instead take up the 2-year $109 billion bill the Senate passed with 74 votes last week. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood joined a group of Senate Democrats Wednesday to goad House Republicans to avoid the very thing Mica says they'll do.

"We're going to continue the drumbeat. No extension," LaHood said. He called an extension the "death knell" of the Highway Trust Fund and the jobs that rely on it. The highway bill has been temporarily reauthorized eight times since 2009.

The House GOP's decision to spurn the Senate bill, at least for now, leaves open the possibility of a standoff that could lead to a shutdown. Sen. Harry Reid, the Majority Leader, said Tuesday he was "not inclined" to approve a temporary extension in light of the Senate's broad bipartisan vote.

"I hope that we will force this issue" with the House, said Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.).

Asked in the same press conference whether Democrats would refuse to back a temporary Highway Bill extension, Sen. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.), a member of the Democratic leadership, would not say they would.

"We think it's a very bad idea," he said.

People with a stake in the billions of dollars worth of highway funds and gas taxes may have breathed a temporary sigh of relief a few hours ago when Transportation and Infrastructure Chairman John Mica said the GOP would opt for a temporary extension next week.

Not so fast.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) says he's not interested in putting a temporary extension of the Highway bill on the Senate floor if the House passes one next week, given that the Senate passed a two-year, $109 billion version of its own last week with 74 votes.

The current Highway bill extension runs out March 31. That means the Senate can keep the program going by passing the House's temporary extension, which will likely include a motion to go to conference with the Senate.

"I'm not inclined to do that," Reid told reporters Tuesday.

If Reid sticks to his guns, that leaves Option Two: Force the House to swallow the Senate's two-year bill or, Option Three: Risk being held responsible for a shutdown reminiscent of last summer's Federal Aviation Administration shutdown fiasco.

Time is running short, and House Republicans have already said they won't try for a version of their 5-year bill before the Easter recess. "There's plenty of time for the House to pass our bill," a Senate Democratic leadership aid says.

The aide wouldn't go so far as to close down all possibilities of a temporary extension as House Republicans now want. But the tough talk has started, and along with it a game of chicken with a March 31 deadline.

"The House had their chance, and they blew it," the aide said.

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House Republicans have decided to pursue a short-term extension rather than take up the Senate's recently-passed two-year Highway bill, The Hill newspaper reports.

The paper quotes House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chairman John Mica (R-Fla.) after remarks delivered at a rally for infrastructure investments near Capitol Hill. "The time and length of that extension will be determined in consultation with the leadership," Mica is quoted as saying.

The decision to go for an extension, the ninth since 2009, means House Republicans are not ready to capitulate to the Senate on its 2-year bill, even though it passed last week with a broadly bipartisan 74-22 vote. Republican leaders have been busy polling their members on the prospect of endorsing the Senate bill and avoiding a showdown. But Republicans, particularly conservatives, are unhappy with the Senate bill's price tag, its treatment of transit policy and other issues.