SENATE DOES U-TURN FROM HIGHWAY BILL.

Byline: The New York Times

The Senate on Tuesday abandoned its efforts to pass a six-year highway financing bill after supporters of a campaign finance overhaul once again blocked the popular $145 billion highway measure from being brought toward a final vote.

In a day of increasing brinkmanship across the Capitol, Senate majority leader Trent Lott pronounced the highway measure ``apparently dead for the year.'' In an effort to press the Democrats by blaming them for denying money for new roads, bridges and public transit projects across the nation, Lott also said he would not agree to the simple six-month extension the House favored.

Raising the stakes in the campaign finance standoff, Lott also said he would keep from the Senate floor trade legislation avidly sought by President Clinton unless Democrats agree to separate that issue from the campaign finance controversy and to provide a significant number of votes to break an expected filibuster.

The threats capped another day in which Congress, no longer united by the spring's common drive to approve a balanced-budget agreement, remained nearly stymied by partisan standoffs. Besides campaign finance, they were stuck over a contested House seat, discontent over legislation to store nuclear waste in Nevada.