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Boehner Suggests ‘Nine to 12 Month’ Highway Bill

Bill would tide over Highway Trust Fun for up to a year while long-term solutions are sought.


The House will likely pass surface transportation legislation that would that tide over the Highway Trust Fund "for nine to 12 months to make sure that the highway projects that are underway will continue," according to House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio.

Congress needs to find a solution to help close an estimated $16 billion a year shortfall in funding for transportation projects.

House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) said last week that his chamber would likely only approve a highway bill that lasts for “some number of months.” 

“I think the idea is to try to find a package that would plug this hole for nine to 12 months to make sure that the highway projects that are underway will continue,” Boehner said in a news conference. 

Lawmakers have been struggling to find a way to close a shortfall in transportation funding that is estimated to be as high as $16 billion per year.

The traditional source for transportation funding is revenue that is collected by the federal gas tax, which is currently 18.4 cents per gallon. The tax only brings is about $34 billion per year, however, and the current level of transportation spending infrastructure advocates want lawmakers to maintain is about $50 billion annually.

Transportation advocates have pushed for an increase in the gas tax for the first time since 1993, but Boehner said his chamber was looking for a shorter funding solution. 

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Source: The Hill

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