Highway bill gets 'no' vote by state

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The House passed a $284 billion bill in March under pressure from the White House. The Senate vote was 89-11 for a bill costing $11 billion more than the House set aside.

President Bush has threatened to veto any bill over $284 billion.

Sens. Jim DeMint and Lindsey Graham, both Republicans, released a joint statement objecting to the higher amount.

"It's only been a few weeks since we adopted a budget to control spending and the Senate has already gone back on its word," DeMint said. "We had a chance to pass a responsible bill, but the Senate's addiction to spending prevailed."

Graham said the last-minute spending increase cost his vote.

"It was a tough decision because there are some important policy changes made in the bill that will benefit our state. The only way our nation will solve its fiscal problems is to do what families and businesses routinely do, and that's stick to a budget," he said.

Congress has stalled over a highway bill for nearly two years.