House lawmakers call for long-term fix for Highway Trust Fund

Over 250 members of Congress have written a letter to House Ways & Means Chairman Kevin Brady calling for a long-term fix to the Highway Trust Fund, which serves as the primary federal funding mechanism for road and bridge infrastructure.    U.S. Rep. Sam Graves, R-Mo., sent a letter Monday to House Ways & Means Committee Chairman Kevin Brady, R-Texas, on behalf of over 250 members of Congress calling for a long-term fix to the Highway Trust Fund (HTF), according to a press release issued by Graves’ office.
   The HTF is the primary federal funding mechanism for highways, bridges and infrastructure projects. Each year, the HTF brings in about $34 billion, compared with the $50 billion the government spends on transportation infrastructure, and its current funding expires in 2020.
   “If states are unable to rely on timely reimbursements from the [Highway Trust Fund] for performed work, projects will be halted, improvements to road safety and congestion relief will be jeopardized, and America’s infrastructure will fall further behind the rest of the world,” the letter said, according to The Hill.
   “The president has made rebuilding our transportation network a priority, and rightfully so,” Graves said. “But, instead of thinking a one-time, trillion dollar investment would solve our long-term infrastructure problems, my focus is on making sure we’re being responsible in how we plan for and fund projects in the future.”
   The primary revenue source for the HTF is the federal gas tax, which have not been raised since 1993.
   President Trump said back in May in an interview with Bloomberg News he would “certainly consider” raising the federal gas tax to fund infrastructure development.
   Monday’s letter also came in the wake of House Reps. John Delaney, R-Md., and Ted Yoho, R-Fla., introducing the proposed Infrastructure 2.0 Act in March, which would create the American Infrastructure Fund and provide additional revenue to the HTF.
   In February, a coalition of industry groups also wrote a letter to President Trump, urging him to find a long-term, user-based revenue source for the HTF and not to rely solely on private funding for the administration’s infrastructure investment plan.