Washington ? Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius urged Monday that the Bush administration stop opposing the federal highway bill and back off the No Child Left Behind education reform law.

In the nation’s capital for their annual meeting, governors met privately Monday with President Bush and his Cabinet officials.

Sebelius said governors were “universally frustrated” that Bush is threatening to veto the highway bill, which would give Kansas $687 million more over the next six years, for a total of $2.6 billion. Bush wants a less costly bill.

“We’re running a $3 trillion debt right now — how could this be the area that we’re going to be fiscally responsible, when it will put workers back to work?” Sebelius said in an interview. “It’s a great jobs bill. It would help rebuild infrastructure across America.”

Kansas GOP Sen. Pat Roberts voted for the highway legislation when it passed the Senate earlier this month, but fellow Republican Sen. Sam Brownback of Kansas sided with the White House in opposing it.

Sebelius said she was lobbying Kansas members of the House, where the bill is headed next.

“We are being pretty aggressive with the House members, urging them to follow Sen. Roberts’ lead and move this issue ahead,” the Democratic governor said. “We’re in the middle of a comprehensive transportation plan in Kansas. We’re trying to make it very clear it’s a big deal.”

The federal highway bill provides the bulk of the money for state highway programs. Sebelius’ plan, under consideration in the Legislature, includes issuing bonds to shore up the state’s transpiration programs. She said Monday that about $240 million in the federal highway bill could be used for her plan.

The governors’ meeting Monday at the White House was orchestrated so that governors asked Bush only two questions, both of which he knew in advance. The exchange with Cabinet officials was “more frank and kind of gloves off,” Sebelius said.

Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius, Center, and Gov. Mike Huckabee of Arkansas, right, watch a presentation during the annual governors' meeting in Washington, D.C. Sebelius on Monday urged the Bush administration to support the federal highway bill and back off the No Child Left Behind education reform law.

The No Child Left Behind law is a major concern for Sebelius and other governors, who want more flexibility and more resources to meet the law’s requirements. The law requires that all students be proficient in reading and math by 2014 and penalizes schools for not making adequate yearly progress.

Sebelius said she supported options such as suspending No Child Left Behind unless it is fully funded, which is the purpose of legislation in Congress sponsored by Kansas Democratic Rep. Dennis Moore.

“I’m all for accountability, but you can’t do that without resources,” Sebelius said. “So freezing the implementation, backing off some of the standards, letting states implement the standards we know work — any variety of proposals works better than what’s in place right now, which is a huge unfunded mandate at a time when states just can’t absorb the hit.”

Republican U.S. Rep. Jim Ryun pointed out earlier this month that Kansas still has $16 million in federal funds available to help meet the law’s requirements, but state education officials say the money is needed and will be used by a Sept. 30 deadline.

Also in discussion at the White House on Monday was the administration’s crackdown on how states leverage federal Medicaid funds. The program provides health care to 50 million people and has ranked among the fastest-growing elements in state budgets for several years.

“I think states universally feel under siege from CMS,” Sebelius said, referring to the agency that runs Medicaid.

The governors’ meeting began Saturday and runs through today.