WASHINGTON — Representatives from the construction sector are on Capitol Hill on May 18 to urge federal lawmakers to ensure the long-term solvency of a highway account.
They also are calling on President Donald Trump to follow through on his campaign promise to invest $1 trillion over 10 years in infrastructure projects.
“The president’s desire to be the ‘builder-in-chief,’ coupled with the Republican-dominated Congress’ quest for the first major tax reform bill since 1986, offer a synergistic moment for a permanent revenue solution for the Highway Trust Fund. But, it won’t just happen. We need to turn up the heat on Congress and the administration,” said David Zachry, chairman of the American Road and Transportation Builders Association.
ARTBA is among the groups in the Transportation Construction Coalition requesting lawmakers to sign a letter by the leader of the House Highways and Transit Subcommittee, Rep. Sam Graves (R-Mo.).
The letter calls on the tax policy Ways and Means Committee to restore the trust fund's long-term viability. The account, used by the U.S. Department of Transportation to assist states, is projected to run low on funds in three years.
Marcia Hale, president of Building America’s Future, emphasized transportation stakeholders see an opportunity for significant reforms in infrastructure funding, and the White House could help lead that momentum.
“There’s been a real change in opinion that almost everyone believes something needs to be done to keep up with our international competitors and to improve people’s lives,” Hale told Transport Topics. “The disagreement comes over how we’re going to pay for it. But what it’s really needed is leadership at the top.”
