Rep. Bill Shuster (R-Pa.) recently highlighted legislation that would extend funding for transportation projects through the middle of 2015 so a long-term solution may be hashed out.
Shuster, the chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, delivered his comments at an event hosted by the Ripon Society. House Transportation and Infrastructure Highways and Transit Subcommittee Chairman Rep. Tom Petri (R-Wis.) and additional committee leaders joined Shuster at the event, according to a press release.
“People said we’ve had a great week,” Shuster said. “I don’t know if we had a great week. It was an okay week. We did the patch. I don’t think that’s really what any of us wanted to do. We would really rather figure out the funding and have a long-term, multi-year bill. But it was a decent week to be able to stop the crisis from occurring with the trust fund running out of money.”
Shuster said the legislation would temporarily prevent the Highway Trust Fund from running dry, but it would not eliminate the pressure on Congress to reach a long-term agreement.
“The pressure is still there to find a long-term fix for the trust fund,” Shuster said. “What it looks like, I don’t know. I don’t want to predict. But it has to be done. We’ve got to make the investments we need for our infrastructure. Our highways and bridges all over this country are going to suffer. And people will suffer because that will cost jobs.”
Petri said “all options are on the table” as legislators turn their attention to a long-term solution.
“The 18.4 cent gas tax hasn’t been changed since 1993,” Petri said. “The average driver in America drives about 11,000 (miles) annually and gets an average of 21 miles a gallon, which means they paid $97.50 a year for our nation’s highways. That’s less than $10 a month. If this were changed by 10.6 cents in the federal gas tax, it would be an extra $4.66 a month. That’s the reality of what we are talking about.”
Petri said that if Congress keeps all options on the table, legislators will eventually make the right decision.
Other House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee leaders who attended the event discussed policies related to the maintenance of public buildings, protecting the shipbuilding industry and the recent passage of the Water Resources Development Act.