White House won't rule out short-term highway funding bill

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama prefers a long-term funding plan for U.S. highways, roads and bridges, but he would not rule out signing a short-term spending fix when the current temporary authorization expires this month, a White House spokesman said on Thursday.

"We've raised some significant concerns about the frequency with which Congress chooses to just kick the can down the road when it comes to funding our infrastructure," said White House spokesman Josh Earnest. "To fund these efforts at a month, or two, or three at a time is really inefficient."

But when asked if Obama would sign a temporary authorization, Earnest said he was "not willing to make a public declaration one way or another right now."

"We'll see what emerges from Congress, with a bias toward a longer-term commitment we believe is consistent with the best interest of the country," he said.

Earlier on Thursday, the chairman of the House of Representatives Ways and Means Committee, Republican Paul Ryan, said lawmakers would work on a long-term blueprint for funding the country's roads, bridges and highways, but they need a short-term funding patch in the meantime.

(Reporting by Roberta Rampton and Lisa Lambert; Editing by Mohammad Zargham)

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