Scramble for Highway Dollars Renews Pressure on Use Taxes

Early next year, the Bush administration and Congress will trade proposals for the next multiyear, multibillion-dollar highway spending bill. But transportation lobbyists and federal officials already are staking out classic positions on how to pump more money into the Highway Trust Fund and who should get how much out of the spigot.

As they say, it’s déjà vu all over again.

Government officials are repeating timeless claims of funding shortages, raising the specter of tax increases. Lobbyist arguments also have a familiar ring: Highway builders are saying higher taxes are needed for highway expansion; railroads are seeking road money to pay for grade crossings and legislative policies that would divert more freight to the rails; and trucking wants every dime in the federal Highway Trust Fund used on roads and bridges, not something else.

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