At first glance, it’s an impressive achievement for Paul Ryan. In his first full week as speaker, the House approved, on an overwhelmingly bipartisan vote, a nearly $340 billion measure supported by business and labor, liberals and (many) conservatives. The proposal is very similar to legislation already passed by the Senate, so President Obama could have a final bill to sign within a few weeks.
The action on Capitol Hill will draw deep sighs of relief from statehouses and city halls across the country. For years, state and local governments have been begging Congress to pass a long-term highway bill so they can plan major projects with the knowledge that the federal government would chip in. The House and Senate have repeatedly passed short-term patches to replenish the nearly empty Highway Trust Fund, but those offer little help in an industry where building a new road or replacing a shaky bridge takes years of planning and financing. At times, the uncertainty in Congress has led states and cities to slow or halt projects, at a cost to local construction jobs and economic growth. The final bill is also likely to include reforms aimed at giving states more flexibility and speeding the approval process so projects can get off the ground faster.
