WASHINGTON (WUSA) -- The Transportation Bill has been in limbo for 2 ½ years. Earlier this year the Senate passed a long-term $109 billion transportation bill, but the House passed yet another short-term bill last week.
Monika Samtani spoke recently with U.S. Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood, who says politics are getting in the way of thousands of jobs.
"The Senate bipartisan bill is a jobs bill. The House should pass that bill, send it to the President, he'll sign it. We're right at the beginning of the construction season. This is not the time to have another extension," said LaHood.
This current extension goes through Sept. 30th. But this House short-term bill includes construction of the Keystone XL pipeline to proceed from Canada to the Gulf Coast, which President Obama has said he would veto. Now that there are two different bills in the House and Senate, they will have to go conference to come up with a compromise. Mr. LaHood is not optimistic that we will have a transportation bill before the election