House and Senate Committees Approve Budget Blueprint, Propose Additional Infrastructure Spending and Fix to Highway Trust Fund

The House and Senate Budget Committees approved budget resolutions for fiscal year 2009 that would provide increases in infrastructure spending above the amounts proposed in the President’s budget request to Congress. 

The Senate resolution proposes to fully fund the highway, safety and transit programs authorized in SAFETEA-LU, as well as fix the projected Highway Trust Fund deficit in fiscal year 2009.  The Senate resolution also proposes to provide almost $9 billion more than the president’s request for transportation, water and energy infrastructure, including an additional $6.5 billion for transportation projects and $3.5 billion for “ready-to-go” transportation projects to help stimulate the economy.  

The House resolution also proposes to fully fund the SAFETEA-LU guaranteed levels for highways and transit, and rejects other cuts to federal construction accounts in the President’s budget, such as for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.    

The annual Congressional budget resolution establishes a non-binding blueprint for the upcoming appropriations process.