Joining a growing chorus of calls for improvements to America’s aging infrastructure, U.S. Reps. Jim Renacci (R-OH) and Reid Ribble (R-WI) published an op-ed in the Hill magazine on Wednesday (http://thehill.com/opinion/op-ed/245158-time-to-save-our-infrastructure), coinciding with the introduction of their Bridge to Sustainable Infrastructure Act.
The legislation would provide a long-term solution to rebuilding the Highway Trust Fund to finance projects to improve roads, highways and bridges across America.
“Sometimes doing the right thing is not always the most popular thing in Washington, especially in a place where politics often trumps good policy,” the duo said in the op-ed. “It would be more popular, not to mention easier, for us to continue to tell the American people that we can fix the Highway Trust Fund by cutting unnecessary spending on things like bike paths and highway beautification, and that we don’t need additional revenue in order to fix our crumbling transportation infrastructure. It would also, however, be a lie. That’s why, in the interest of addressing a long-term transportation problem that hasn’t seen a long-term solution in more than 20 years, we introduced the Bridge to Sustainable Infrastructure Act.”
The bill would utilize the threat of a gas-tax increase as an enforcement trigger, motivating Congress to provide at least 10 years of debt-free funding for the Highway Trust Fund. Essentially, the legislation would not set a particular mechanism to reach 10 years of debt-free funding, but instead force Congress to consider all viable options and take action to get that job done.
“Fundamentally, we believe it’s a conservative position that if something is important enough to buy, it is important enough to pay for, and the things we buy today should not create debt for our children tomorrow,” Renacci and Ribble said. “The legislation takes a two-pronged approach. First, in order to provide an initial source of revenue to allow Congress enough time — roughly 1.7 years — to consider all potential funding options, it indexes the gasoline and diesel user fees to inflation going forward, ensuring the purchasing power of the Highway Trust Fund remains stable. Second, recognizing cars have become more fuel-efficient and the gasoline and diesel user fees will not be a sustainable funding mechanism on their own, our bill creates a commission tasked with reviewing all funding options and finding agreement on a path forward.”
Opponents of the legislation warn of massive increases in the cost of gasoline for the average American. Estimates referenced by the congressmen indicate, however, that in 2016, the average driver would pay only an additional $2.83 over the entire year under the proposal.
“(That’s) less than just one of your morning lattes,” they said. “Instead of continuing to ignore this problem, we choose to act so that the next generation will not bear the burden of Congress’ inaction.
“If we maintain and improve our infrastructure, not only do we become more competitive globally, certainty provides local governments and the construction industry the opportunity to plan in a way that can result in significant cost savings,” the duo said. “As Republicans, we support comprehensive tax reform, lowering the deficit and reducing the Washington-born regulatory burden placed on our job creators. We also support one of the most important tools for American businesses, workers and families — our national infrastructure system. After 33 short-term fixes, stop-gap measures and clumsy governing, it’s finally time to face this national challenge. We refuse to sit back and leave our children and grandchildren with a nation that is no longer a leader in innovation. The rest of America should too.”
Renacci, who is a member of the House Ways and Means Committee, has represented Ohio’s 16th Congressional District since 2011. Ribble has represented Wisconsin’s Eighth Congressional District since 2011 and sits on both the House Foreign Affairs and Transportation committees.