Just in the nick of time before federal highway funding expired on July 31, President Obama signed off on a 90-day extension for the Highway Trust Fund that keep money flowing to federal highway construction projects through October 29. This $8-billion funding measure marks the 34th short-term extension since 2008.
Republican leaders in the House and Senate are at odds over how to cover an estimated $16 billion shortfall in transportation funding, and Capitol Hill has been unable to solve the issue for a decade. The impasse has resulted in an on-going series of stop-gap extensions, and the situation doesn’t seem likely to improve.
The inability of the US House of Representatives and US Senate to construct and pass a long-term highway infrastructure funding bill brought widespread industry criticism. Not surprisingly, some of the strongest comments came from the trucking and construction sectors.
“Obviously we’re pleased to finally see some progress on a long-term highway and transit bill,” said Associated Equipment Distributors President and CEO Brian McGuire. “Senators McConnell, Inhofe, and Boxer deserve considerable credit for putting together a real reauthorization plan and building a bipartisan coalition to pass it.
“At the same time, the lack of urgency in the House is inexcusable. For months we’ve heard promises and platitudes but seen no action. Rather than rolling up their sleeves and getting to work either writing their own bill or taking up the Senate’s legislation, House lawmakers instead decided to leave for the August recess. They’ve hit the road for home while America’s roads and bridges crumble and Congress has once again left state transportation officials, and construction contractors, workers and suppliers in limbo.”
That criticism was echoed by American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials who expressed relief that Congress approved a three-month extension of funding for the distressed Highway Trust Fund and urged the House to follow the Senate’s lead in approving a multi-year authorization that would establish much-needed certainty for state departments of transportation.
"We are pleased that Congress has sent the President legislation that keeps the Highway Trust Fund solvent through October, avoiding potentially serious disruption to state DOT projects and programs. But this is the third time in 10 months that Congress has had to keep the Highway Trust Fund solvent through passage of a short-term extension,” said AASHTO Executive Director Bud Wright.
“AASHTO has long advocated for long-term surface transportation legislation because it provides certainty. We commend the Senate for approving a multi-year bill. It took strong leadership from both parties in the EPW, Commerce and Banking committees to write a bill that could earn such strong bipartisan support in the Senate.
We urge the House to follow the Senate’s lead and pass a surface transportation bill as soon as possible when they return to Washington DC in September. We hope negotiations between the House and Senate lead to the kind of investment and reforms needed to keep America’s transportation infrastructure strong. The potential for a long-term authorization is encouraging and we look forward to working with Congress and the Administration to make that happen, before time runs out yet again."