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WASHINGTON, D.C. — Several top Bush administration officials told key transportation leaders last week the president has no intention of increasing the spending limit on the new highway bill beyond the $283.9 billion compromise he agreed to earlier this month.

The battle over a new six-year highway bill is entering its second year, and President Bush on Feb. 7 budgeted for the new spending limit, which matches what the House proposed last year. While the total is $28 billion above what the White House sought in 2004, it is still substantially below the Senate’s last proposal of $318 billion.

American Trucking Associations President Bill Graves said the officials — Transportation Secretary Norman Mineta; Karl Rove, deputy White House chief of staff; and Mary Peters, head of the Federal Highway Administration — told a small group of industry leaders Feb. 17 that “the White House is not interested in more compromise” over the size of the funding bill.

“We’re comfortable” with the president’s proposal, Graves said after the session. “We still have some issues” with the bill, but not the total amount of funding, he said.

James Whittinghill, ATA’s senior vice president of legislative affairs, said, “It’s beginning to look more like a done deal,” and the legislation could be approved by the House before the Easter recess in March.

This story appears in the Feb. 21 print edition of Transport Topics. Subscribe today.