Yesterday, the House of Representatives approved the Surface and Air Transportation Programs Extension Act of 2011 (H.R. 2887), an act that provides a clean six month extension of the Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act (SAFETEA-LU) and a four month extension of the FAA's Airport Improvement Program.

The extensions reflect a compromise between Republicans and Democrats on issues of transportation rather than a strict adherence to House Budget Committee Chair Paul Ryan's (R., Wis.) budget—a compromise that may have been driven by the unfavorable response Congress received when they let the prior FAA bill expire without an extension, causing a loss of taxes and a furlough on thousands of government workers.

The Highway Trust Fund bill (HTF) will remain funded at current levels of $39.9 billion per year; this is over $3 billion short of Barbara Boxer's (D., CA) hoped for $43 billion, but the amount does reflect the Appropriation Committee's earlier rescission of funds in order to keep HTF solvent for as long as possible. Moreover, the extensions provide nearly $25 billion in contract authority for surface transportation programs and $1.18 billion in contract authority for FAA airport grants. The extensions will carry FAA funding through until January 31, 2012 and surface transportation funding through March 31, 2012.

The House of Representatives unanimously passed the bill on Tuesday and the Senate was due to consider the bill sometime today. Thus far, the Senate has not come to a conclusion on the matter.