Dems see smoother roads ahead for troubled Highway bill

“Today I see a path forward, I really do,” she said. “There has been some progress over night but it’s not as clear as it should be.”

Boxer’s upbeat comments stood in marked contrast to a dismal analysis she issued on Wednesday night, suggesting outstanding disagreements over amendments could sink the bill.

In particular Boxer pointed to a non-germane amendment offered by Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) that would strip funding from Egypt and another one from Sen. Roy Blunt (R-Mo.) to reverse the administration’s recent contraceptive decision. 

Boxer, likely joking, said she was so astounded that Blunt would offer such a non-germane amendment that at first she thought he meant that women should not be able to take their birth control while driving on the federal highway system.