Press Releases

Ranking Members Sam Graves & Rodney Davis Highlight Republican Infrastructure Principles

Washington, D.C., January 28, 2020 | Justin Harclerode (202) 225-9446
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Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure Ranking Member Sam Graves (R-MO) and Subcommittee on Highways and Transit Ranking Member Rodney Davis (R-IL) today outlined principles that Republican Members will focus on during this year’s planned Committee development of a surface transportation reauthorization bill.

“Infrastructure remains an issue on which Congress can get something done, and that’s what our constituents expect us to do,” said Ranking Member Graves.  “Committee Republicans stand ready to work with our Democratic colleagues to pass a bill that can earn bipartisan support and the President’s signature.  We hope that Republican principles will be incorporated into a surface transportation bill because a bipartisan bill is the proven blueprint to getting a bill signed into law and that is what both Republicans and Democrats want.”

“As a staffer and now as a Member, I’ve seen this committee work together to produce good, bipartisan federal highway bills, and I hope the tradition will continue with the 116thCongress,” said Ranking Member Davis.  “We all agree our country is in desperate need of critical transportation investments and now we have to work together to make this a reality.  I look forward to working with Chairman DeFazio and my counterpart on the Highways and Transit Subcommittee, Chair Holmes Norton, to produce a bipartisan bill.”

Principles for surface transportation reauthorization that Committee Republicans will focus on in the coming months include:

  • Addressing the long-term sustainability of the Highway Trust Fund – continuing the status quo and relying on the fuel taxes as the primary source of funding for the Highway Trust Fund is not a long-term solution to the Trust Fund’s ongoing solvency issues.
  • Incorporating innovative developments in technology to improve our infrastructure – technological innovation has dramatic potential to increase transportation efficiency, improve safety and the environment, and create jobs. Our federal policies must better reflect this reality.
  • Streamlining the project delivery process to maximize available funding – time is money, and reducing red tape in the project review and delivery process will yield better results for taxpayer investments in infrastructure and save money.
  • Addressing the infrastructure needs of America’s rural communities – 71% of U.S. public road lane-mileage is in rural America. Any increased investment in federal infrastructure funding must ensure that small and rural communities are getting a fair shake and are not being left behind in rebuilding our Nation’s transportation network.
  • Prioritizing core programs and functions of our existing federal surface transportation programs – fixing and improving the Nation’s core system of highways and bridges, and facilitating interstate commerce and the movement of freight and people, are critical to the safety and efficiency of the surface transportation network and should not be jeopardized.
  • Ensuring state flexibility – Each state has its own unique and disparate infrastructure needs, and top-down mandates frequently fail to account for this natural disparity.  States, in partnership with their local partners, generally know best how to prioritize and address their individual needs.

    The current surface transportation law, the FAST Act, expires on September 30, 2020.

     

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