House to vote on $55B transportation, housing bill

The House is scheduled to vote Tuesday on a $55 billion Republican funding bill for the departments of Transportation, and Housing and Urban Development. 

The measure, which is known as THUD, provides $55.3 billion in funding the departments of Transportation, and Housing and Urban Development, which is a $1.5 billion increase over the agencies’ current 2015 spending levels. 

The bill provides $9.7 billion less than President Obama’s request for the Transportation and Housing agencies, and it has drawn a veto threat from the White House. 

{mosads}Congressional Democrats have also attacked Republicans for attaching a number of nonbudgetary issues to the bill, such as placing restrictions on the Obama administration’s efforts to begin normalizing the nation’s relations with Cuba. 

Truck safety groups in particular have accused GOP lawmakers of using the appropriations process to undo a series of trucking regulations they say makes U.S. roads safer, including limits on the length and weight of trucks. Trucking companies have opposed these limits for years. 

The conservative Heritage Action group has also said it is key-voting the transportation and housing bill, but its objection is related to the amount of money the measure spends on infrastructure projects that opponents think would be better left to states.