Dive Brief:
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The House of Representatives this week passed a transportation funding bill that replenishes the fund that pays for federal highway and transit projects.
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A Republican-backed, $55 billion funding bill for the departments of Transportation and Housing and Urban Development — often referred to as THUD — squeaked through by just six votes, as all but three Democrats voted against it. The measure cut Amtrak funding by $242 million.
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The bill would fund the departments at $1.5 billion more than their 2015 budgets, but falls $9.7 billion short of President Barack Obama’s proposal. Obama has threatened to veto the bill because it allots less than he wanted for domestic programs.
Dive Insight:
The bill would add $40.3 billion to the Highway Trust Fund, but some have said the temporary infusion of cash is not a solution to the chronic lack of resources available to repair and expand the country’s highways and bridges.
Seventeen U.S. representatives last week proposed separate legislation that would ensure long-term funding of the Highway Trust Fund so it would not run out of money for at least 10 years.
The fund is financed by the gas tax, which does not create enough revenue to sustain it. The Bridge to Sustainable Infrastructure Act would authorize gas-tax increases that keep up with inflation.
