Obama to sign highway bill

by Jordan Fabian - 05/29/15 1:48 PM ET

President Obama on Friday will sign a two-month extension of highway funding into law, the White House said.

The measure prevents a sudden halt in infrastructure funding that was slated to begin May 31. But White House press secretary Josh Earnest criticized the stopgap bill as a punt and urged Congress to pass a long-term measure to fund road projects.

{mosads}“It’s the president’s view that the era of short-term patches … must come to an end,” Earnest told reporters.

Earnest noted it was the 33rd temporary fix for highway funding since 2008. The uncertainty caused by that approach has led states to delay major highway projects.

He encouraged lawmakers to look at closing tax loopholes to fund a long-term highway measure.

Tags Highway funding