Transportation issues front and center this week in D.C.

Transportation will be a big topic of conversation this week in Washington, D.C.

On Wednesday, April 14, there will be committee hearings regarding transportation in the House and the Senate. In addition, a House transportation budget hearing is slated for Thursday, April 15.

The Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works will have a hearing titled “Long-term Solvency of the Highway Trust Fund” at 10 a.m. Eastern on Wednesday. The hearing will focus on funding alternatives and potential user-based revenue solutions.

The House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee will have a hearing at 11 a.m. Eastern on Wednesday to provide members of Congress who are not on the T&I Committee the opportunity to provide their input.

The House Appropriations Subcommittee will have its fiscal year 2022 Department of Transportation budget request hearing at 2 p.m. Eastern on Thursday. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg is scheduled to be a witness.

Infrastructure plan

Improving the nation’s infrastructure and finding a way to pay for it will be high on Congress’ priority list this year. On March 31, President Joe Biden unveiled a $2 trillion infrastructure plan that included $621 billion toward upgrading America’s transportation system.

“It’s a once-in-a-generation investment in America, unlike anything we’ve seen or done since we built the interstate highway system and the space race decades ago,” Biden said. “In fact, it’s the largest American jobs investment since World War II. It will create millions of jobs, good-paying jobs. It will grow the economy, make us more competitive around the world, promote our national security interests and put us in a position to win the global competition with China in the upcoming years.”

Biden’s plan would be funded through a corporate tax increase, but the idea has received some pushback. Other funding alternatives that have been discussed include increasing the existing fuel tax or creating a vehicle-miles-traveled tax.

In a letter to the Biden administration in January, OOIDA said that many of its members remain skeptical that a VMT system is the solution to the highway funding problems. OOIDA also called suggestions to create a truck-only VMT tax “discriminatory.” LL