WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. House of Representatives on Tuesday overwhelmingly passed a $10.9 billion extension of U.S. transportation funding through May 2015, a measure aimed at averting cutbacks in federal money for road, bridge and transit projects in August.
The measure, paid for largely through revenue generated by pension accounting changes and higher customs user fees, passed on a 367-55 bipartisan vote. The Senate is expected to begin considering a similar, $10.8 billion measure with some alternate funding provisions in the coming days.
Without new money for the Highway Trust Fund, the Department of Transportation has said it will start to cut back federal funding for projects by nearly a third on Aug. 1, halting many new projects and putting hundreds of thousands of construction jobs at risk. Congress begins a five-week summer recess that day.
(Reporting by David Lawder; Editing by Peter Cooney)