The U.S. House voted June 23 to again temporarily extend a roads program that should have expired nine months ago, the Associated Press reports.

The 418-0 House vote extends to the end of July the six-year highway and mass transit act. The Senate is likely to agree to the extension, the fourth since September, before the latest deadline of June 30.

The vote came as House and Senate negotiators met to come up with a compromise bill that deals with several controversial measures, such as proposals in the Senate version to approve tolling on existing interstate highways.

The major issue, however, is the overall spending level.

The White House has recommended spending $256 billion from 2004 to 2009, compared with $218 billion in the last period. But the House approved a $284 billion bill and the Senate passed a $318 billion bill that is favored by many House members.

Meanwhile, the White House has warned that President Bush would use his veto power for the first time if the bill presented to him goes much over the figure he prefers.

But the House and Senate, both controlled by the president's Republican allies, as well as the business community, contend that the White House number falls far short of what is needed to address the nation's deteriorating infrastructure.