House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chairman Bill Shuster (R-Pa.) said Wednesday that an infrastructure bill could pass in a lame-duck session of Congress if it doesnโt succeed before the midterm elections.
โIt could be a lame-duck strategy, that we do it after the election,โ Shuster told a meeting of the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials.
A lame-duck session of Congress occurs when lawmakers on Capitol Hill meet and vote following the election of their successors, but before the successors have been sworn in to begin their terms.
The Pennsylvania Republican, who is retiring at the end of his current term, said earlier this month that legislation could be ready โcloser to the summer.โ
Meanwhile, Senate Majority Whip John Cornyn (R-Texas) on Tuesday expressed skepticism that lawmakers could get an infrastructure bill agreed on and passed by the end of this year.
โIt will be challenging,โ Cornyn told Bloomberg. โI certainly would be happy if we could, but weโve got a lot of things to do, that being one of them, and I donโt know if we will have time to get to that.โ
But Shuster, who is working on a bill with House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee ranking member Peter DeFazio (D-Ore.), said he is โcommittedโ to producing a package that he argues must be bipartisan to succeed.
While lawmakers on both sides of the aisle are firm on a funding source, Democrats have repeatedly slammed the White Houseโs proposal for focusing on public-private partnerships and relying on funding from state and local governments.
DeFazio, who argues the administrationโs proposed $200 billion of federal seed money is not enough to overhaul U.S. public works, took the stage on Wednesday with a sign that read โdevolution.โ
โShow me the money. Thereโs no sense in talking policy if there is no money,โ DeFazio told the gathering of state Transportation officials.
โBut if thereโs no money, itโs not worth having the discussion,โ he added.
