Nelson casts first return vote in favor of Senate highway bill

Sen. Bill Nelson cast his first vote since returning to the Capitol after cancer surgery in favor of a controversial Senate highway bill. 

Nelson, who has pushed for a long-term transportation funding measure, said he is not sure if he will ultimately support the package that has been negotiated by Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) and Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.), although he said it is important to allow debate to proceed on the measure. 

“The bill still needs some fixing but … it was a question of whether or not we even have a bill to fix,” he said of the procedural vote on Wednesday evening to move forward with the highway bill. “If we don’t have a long-term highway funding bill, we won’t have the money we need to repair and build roads and bridges.”

{mosads}Lawmakers are facing a July 31 deadline for the expiration of federal transportation funding, but they are struggling to agree on the length and funding sources of a potential extension. 

Nelson, 72, announced earlier this month that he was diagnosed with prostate cancer during a routine medical exam. 

Nelson, who is up for reelection in 2018, underwent surgery to remove the cancer and has said that he intends for run for reelection. 

The Florida lawmaker was one of 62 senators who voted in favor of proceeding with the highway bill, delivering a win to Sen. McConnell a day after the chamber blocked the measure in a failed test vote.