1.   Biers -- TRANS. Lawmakers from the Northeast raise the rhetorical stakes on reauthorization of a key highway funding bill.

2.   A senior administration official said the White House would not object to another stopgap funding bill, but reiterated it wants the catchall spending bill wrapped up this week.

3.   Bryant CONNECTICUT -- TRANS. Lawmakers from the Northeast raise the rhetorical stakes on the battle over rewrite of a key highway funding bill.

4.   But lawmakers were drafting a temporary spending measure that would keep the federal agencies operating past midnight Friday, when a stopgap funding bill expires.

5.   But with Medicare out of the short-term funding bill, the president may have a harder time making his case.

6.   Clinton also has promised to veto the funding bill for the departments of Commerce, Justice and State.

7.   Congress needs to pass another funding bill before these agencies can resume work.

8.   Congressional leaders responded by suggesting that they may attach the stopgap funding bill and the debt-limit measure to their sweeping balanced-budget proposal later this week.

9.   Doggett sponsored the funding bill along with Rep. Kevin Brady, R-The Woodlands.

10.   Georgia lawmakers react to the latest highway funding bill released on Thursday by House transportation committee leaders.