Transportation and Infrastructure

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.

The change means that the first two days of next week will be rife with scrutiny of the embattled agency.

Rep. Mica asked the GSA to explain its $200,000 awards program, which gave out iPods, gift cards and other items

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) said this week that he will soon write a letter to the Department of Homeland Security to ask that Transportation Security Administration (TSA) workers be instructed to smile and greet passengers at airports.

Reid said his letter would go to Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano, who overseas various DHS bureaus including TSA.