Beware the Next Threat

Just when it seemed that the worst of the mayhem caused by Washington’s bizarre handling of the debt-limit crisis appears to have passed — as Congress broke for its summer recess — enter the latest peculiar chapter.

Certain conservatives seem to have a new target for their anti-tax tirades: federal fuel taxes that (barely) fund the Highway Trust Fund.

Apparently, a few players in the drive to shrink the federal government have discovered that the federal taxes on gasoline and diesel fuel will expire Sept. 30 unless Congress extends them.

In years past, these extensions virtually have been automatic — Congress has held the taxes at 24.4 cents a gallon for diesel and 18.4 cents for gasoline since 1993.

Concerns were raised last week when the online news service Politico.com ran a story warning that “renewing the [federal fuel] tax could be the next political controversy to spark a brawl in an ever more deeply divided Capitol Hill.”

It appears that most officials at the White House, the Department of Transportation and relevant congressional committees have assumed that the tax extension would glide through Congress.

Ah, the folly.

“Already,” Politico.com reported on Aug. 1, “a handful of conservative groups are eyeing the expiration as the next potential front in the spending and tax fight — including Grover Norquist’s influential Americans for Tax Reform group — but are mum about any potential legislative strategy.”

Norquist, Politico.com reported, said, “In general, ATR has always supported the idea of ending the federal tax on gas and having states pay for their own roads. . . . ATR would love to help begin such a dialogue” in Congress.

Fact is, we believe any drive to bankrupt the Highway Trust Fund — which is exactly what would happen if the fuel taxes disappeared — would be disastrous for America.

As it is, the roughly $32 billion likely to be raised by those taxes this year are woefully inadequate to address the country’s highway needs.

We have been urging Congress to increase fuel taxes, in order to provide the money needed to repair and expand the nation’s transport infrastructure and to keep products produced here competitive on the world market.

One of the foundations of the federal government is to foster and regulate commerce between the states. If the federal government isn’t the appropriate entity to build and maintain our road system, what is?

We trust the Congress will quickly discard the odd logic of those seeking to kill the nation’s responsibility of overseeing the highway system and get back to the business of adequately funding roads and bridges so that our economy can continue to lead the world.