Issue 2-09
US Secretary of Transportation Calls for Extension, while House and Senate work on Long-Term Highway Reauthorization Bill
U.S. Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood recently called for an 18-month extension of transportation programs. The short three-paragraph statement is attached below. This statement came as a surprise to members of the House Transportation and Infrastructure and Senate Environment and Public Works Committees who are currently working on a long-term reauthorization.
This morning, I went to Capitol Hill to brief members of Congress on the situation with the Highway Trust Fund. I am proposing an immediate 18-month highway reauthorization that will replenish the Highway Trust Fund. If this step is not taken the trust fund will run out of money as soon as late August and states will be in danger of losing the vital transportation funding they need and expect.
As part of this, I am proposing that we enact critical reforms to help us make better investment decisions with cost-benefit analysis, focus on more investments in metropolitan areas and promote the concept of livability to more closely link home and work. The Administration opposes a gas tax increase during this challenging, recessionary period, which has hit consumers and businesses hard across our country.
I recognize that there will be concerns raised about this approach. However, with the reality of our fiscal environment and the critical demand to address our infrastructure investments in a smarter, more focused approach, we should not rush legislation. We should work together on a full reauthorization that best meets the demands of the country. The first step is making sure that the Highway Trust Fund is solvent. The next step is addressing our transportation priorities over the long term.
House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chairman Jim Oberstar was quick to criticize the extension. "We don't have time for 18 months. That puts a Damocles sword of uncertainty over the future of transportation. It is unacceptable," he said.
The ranking Republican on the Committee, John Mica of Florida, also assailed the Administration’s call for an 18-month extension. “We're going to do everything in our power to move this forward, regardless of what the administration said. We're going to do it together, one way or another, come hell or high water, and I don't see any water right now."
Source: AGC