HIGHWAY BILL HIJINX: Today marks two weeks since House leaders told their Republican colleagues about a plan to patch the Highway Trust Fund with changes to the Postal Service — and it hasn’t won over many people so far. Of four House Republicans — three on the Transportation Committee — who spoke with MT about the proposal, the most positive stance anyone took was the suggestion that “people are warming up to it.” One Republican on T&I didn’t mince words: “It’s beyond dead and it never should have had life. It is a pathetic, sad commentary on our unwillingness to face our bigger responsibility.” Leaders talked about the plan at the GOP caucus meeting earlier this week, but “it didn’t really go over well,” according to a House Republican at the meeting. “There were a lot of people feeling like it was gimmicky and it doesn’t really do what we want it to do.” But, the member cautioned, “it feels like everything really changed Tuesday night” with Majority Leader Eric Cantor’s shocking primary defeat at the hands of political novice Dave Brat. Cantor announced Wednesday that he will leave his leadership post at the end of July
Republicans cool to Postal Service plan