(The following appeared on The Journal of Commerce website on March 3, 2010.)
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Four days after blocking a temporary jobs and transportation measure and forcing a two-day shutdown of Department of Transportation highway programs, Sen. Jim Bunning, R-Ky., dropped his objections Tuesday night.
The Senate quickly passed legislation to resume funding for highway projects under a 30-day extension of the Highway Trust Fund and extended benefits and health insurance subsidies to the unemployed.
Bunning, who launched a one-man filibuster campaign on Friday, had insisted that any legislation include ways to pay for it and not add to the federal budget deficit. He finally relented under intense pressure from Democrats and declining support among Republicans.
President Obama was expected to quickly sign the bill, which passed on a 78-19 vote.
Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood applauded the Senate’s quick action. “I am pleased that the Senate has acted to break its logjam and extend the Highway Trust Fund for another 30 days,” he said in a statement. “This means that our valued employees may return to work. It also means that their important work getting the economy back on its feet, ensuring Americans’ safety and keeping critical construction projects moving will be able to continue.”
DOT employees were expected to return to work on Wednesday morning.
Among the Republicans pressuring Bunning was Sen. Susan Collins of Maine, who called on the Kentucky senator to allow the measure to proceed.
Bunning had said he supports all the provisions of the bill, but insisted Congress pay for it rather than invoke emergency authority so it would not be subject to normal deficit rules.
He first stood against the measure on Feb. 25, and repeated his objection the next day. That forced the Senate into a weekend break without extending the highway programs and jobless benefits that were due to expire Feb. 28.
As of Monday, the DOT began furloughing about 2,000 workers without pay, and halted road and bridge construction work on federal lands that require trust fund-paid inspectors on hand.
That also stopped the department from processing normal federal aid to states for highway and transit programs as well as stimulus grants. The Federal Highway Administration and the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, which oversees commercial truck safety, were largely closed Tuesday, along with some other DOT operations.