Transportation and Infrastructure

Only 26 Democrats went on record with support for the pipeline project, a smaller tally than Republicans have been touting.

The House is expected to approve legislation next week that would authorize the expansion of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, in the form of an addition to the south end of the building.

The John F. Kennedy Center Reauthorization Act, H.R. 4097, would allow an addition of less than 100,000 square feet, but would require all construction costs to come from private donations. The bill does, however, allow the Kennedy Center board to request annual appropriations for operations and maintenance costs of the addition.

Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) and Rep. Jerry Costello (D-Ill.) on Monday released a letter they sent to all members of the Illinois congressional delegation in an apparent attempt to convince them to support passage of a Senate-passed bill.

Their letter reviewed House and Senate work on a highway bill, and noted that the Senate approved a bipartisan bill, while a proposed House bill, H.R. 7, "drew significant opposition and many of you also opposed the bill because of its negative impact on the transportation network in Illinois."

House leaders on Wednesday evening announced 33 conferees to the federal highway bill, who could begin meeting with their Senate counterparts as early as this week.

Twenty of the 33 are Republicans: Reps. John Mica (Fla.), Don Young (Alaska), John Duncan (Tenn.), Bill Shuster (Pa.), Shelley Moore Capito (W-Va.), Rick Crawford (Ark.), Jaime Herrera Beutler (Wash.), Larry Buschon (Ind.), Richard Hanna (N.Y.), Steve Southerland (Fla.), James Lankford (Okla.), Reid Ribble (Wis.), Fred Upton (Mich.), Ed Whitfield (Ky.), Doc Hastings (Wash.), Rob Bishop (Utah), Ralph Hall (Texas), Chip Cravaack (Minn.), Dave Camp (Mich.) and Patrick Tiberi (Ohio).

The House voted on Wednesday to meet with the Senate to negotiate a bill funding federal highway programs.

Members approved a motion to go to conference with the Senate on the highway bill by unanimous consent, setting up what could be several weeks of discussions with the Senate.

Sen. Whitehouse criticized Boehner for not passing highway bill extension, says it's "not complicated"

Defying a veto threat, House Republicans passed legislation extending transportation program funding and mandating construction of the Keystone pipeline.

The House on Wednesday approved three Republican amendments to a short-term highway bill that is now expected to lead to a House-Senate conference on a longer-term extension.

Members accepted two amendments by voice vote. One was from Rep. Charles Boustany (R-La.), which would require that Harbor Maintenance Trust Fund monies be used for harbor maintenance, not other purposes. Democrats said on the House floor that they supported the amendment.

House Republicans and Democrats on Wednesday indicated that after several years of short-term extensions, they were finally on a path toward passing a long-term highway bill.

Members were considering an extension of federal highway programs through the end of fiscal year 2012. While Democrats have implored Republicans to get to a longer-term bill, they said today they could accept the latest extension as a way to get to a conference with the Senate on a multi-year solution.

The Republican lawmaker said the trip "demonstrates the mind-boggling culture of waste" at the federal agency.