When It Comes to Federal Highway Funding, All Options Must Be on the Table

SAMPLE OP-EDS

When it Comes to Federal Highway Funding, All Options Must be on the Table

By [Author name]

Construction and maintenance of our national highway and interstate system has been a core function of the federal government since America’s founding dating back to when they were called “post roads.” Our Founding Fathers believed this to be so important that they included it in the Constitution as one of the very few enumerated powers along with national defense that Congress was responsible for contained in Article I, Sec. 8.

Congress should focus on passing a long-term highway reauthorization plan before the current extension expires at the end of May. All options must be on the table for consideration to find a long-term funding solution that will stabilize the federal Highway Trust Fund, including an increase in the gas tax (which could be balanced with tax cuts elsewhere so as to be revenue neutral for taxpayers); new revenue streams realized through tax reform; or one-shot infusions from sources such as incentivizing American corporations to bring their foreign profits back to the U.S.

There are those today who advocate a very different path than the one that the Framers of the Constitution chose – even as they allegedly do so in the Founders’ names.

A concerted effort is underway to turn this federal responsibility over to the states in what is frequently referred to as “devolution.” This is an accurate term since just as evolution evokes forward movement and progress, then its opposite must denote going backwards and regressing. That is the last thing our nation’s roads and highways need.

No doubt both sides of this debate believe that states should have greater flexibility under the federal highway program to prioritize their projects and have streamlined approval and construction processes. In fact, such reforms were a key part of the last highway bill, MAP-21, passed in 2012.

However, devolving responsibility for the federal highway program isn’t “limited constitutional government,” but an unfunded federal mandate on the states. If the federal highway user fee (or gas tax as it is commonly referred to) were to be abolished as some suggest, then states would either have to drastically curtail their transportation projects or pass massive tax increases at the state level to make up for the lost federal funding.

America's transportation projects and workers cannot endure another short-term extension that leaves states unable to commit to the needed infrastructure improvements and business unable to make responsible capital investment and resource commitments. Our leaders in Washington must seize this critical opportunity to improve existing programs and increase investment in the nation's roads, bridges and transit systems essential for future growth.

America Needs Long-Term Funding for Transportation Projects

By [Author name]

America's transportation infrastructure system is in bad need of repair. Instead of addressing this pressing problem, Congress has been content to enact a series of short highway bills that are followed by a number of even shorter extensions that make it impossible for states to plan for the future.

It is time for Congress to develop a long-term solution for funding our highways, bridges and public transportation systems to drive economic recovery and protect our citizens.They need to tackle the long-term planning and investment needs before the latest MAP-21 extension expires on May 31.

We all depend on a transportation network that is reliable, fast, safe and cost-effective. Transportation is also an important economic driver by creating jobs across construction, engineering, and manufacturing sectors. Every $1 spent on transportation infrastructure projects generates an additional $1.80 to $2.00 of American GDP, so spending on worthy transportation projects has great potential to boost our economy.

Unfortunately, government has failed to make long-term investments in transportation and a deteriorating transportation system threatens our economic growth. Any American traveling daily by car, bus or train sees first-hand that our transportation infrastructure is failing to keep pace with the needs of a growing population and a growing economy.

In the near term, if we are to fix our aging infrastructure and make needed improvements, all funding options must be on the table including an increase in the gas tax (which could be balanced with tax cuts elsewhere so as to be revenue neutral for taxpayers); new revenue streams realized through tax reform; or one-shot infusions from sources such as incentivizing American corporations to bring their foreign profits back to the U.S.

Congress has to put a responsible package together, one that commits national resources to national priorities and ensures that dollars are spent wisely. For too long, short-term extensions have forced projects to stop and start, wasting time and money that could be used to achieve a cohesive national transportation plan.Two states have already announced that they are suspending numerous road projects (and the jobs that go along with them) due to the uncertainty of the federal role in building and maintaining our nation’s infrastructure.

Congress should focus on passing a long-term reauthorization plan before the current extension expires. America's transportation projects and workers cannot endure another short-term extension that leaves states unable to commit to the needed infrastructure improvements and business unable to make responsible capital investment and resource commitments. Our leaders in Washington must seize this critical opportunity to improve existing programs and increase investment in the nation's roads, bridges and transit systems essential for future growth.

American Business Needs Infrastructure Investment

By [Author name]

As gas prices fall to levels we have not seen in years, traffic on our roadways undoubtedly will spike making them even more congested. Any American traveling by car, bus, or train can see firsthand that our transportation infrastructure is failing to keep pace with the demands of a growing population and the 21st Century economy.

As a member of the business community, I see daily how our transportation system is aging and increasingly inadequate to support America’s needs. Between increasing congestion, pot holes, crumbling bridges, and malfunctioning transit systems, businesses all over the country are contending with more complex supply chains and ever-lengthening travel times for their goods, employees and customers, not to mention increasing safety concerns and environmental pollution.

For [INSERT BUSINESS NAME], the frustrations are particularly acute. [INSERT LANGUAGE DETAILING BUSINESS ISSUES]. But [INSERT BUSINESS NAME] is not alone in facing these issues. The need for appropriate transportation legislation remains one of our nation’s most persistent challenges.

So what can be done?

We need to start by making transportation needs a national priority. Until all Americans demand better results and increased investment from their state, local and federal governments, our nation’s transportation network will continue to crumble. In the meantime, the list of roads and bridges needing major repairs will grow and become more expensive to address while businesses of all kinds are forced to contend with growing challenges to their mobility, which threatens economic growth, global competitiveness and job creation.

At the federal level, Congress has a great opportunity to move forward. This May, the nation’s core surface transportation law, which currently provides for roughly half of states’ highway and transit investments, is up for reauthorization. All funding options must be on the table including an increase in the gas tax (which could be balanced with tax cuts elsewhere so as to be revenue neutral for taxpayers); new revenue streams realized through tax reform; or one-shot infusions from sources such as incentivizing American corporations to bring their foreign profits back to the U.S.

We call on our leaders in Washington to seize this opportunity to improve existing programs, increase investment, focus national resources on our greatest needs, and ensure that transportation dollars are spent wisely.

Certainty Is Needed For American Business To Thrive

By [Author name]

If there is one thing that businesses need in order to be successful, it is certainty. They need to know what their tax rates and health care costs will be so they can plan ahead and make informed decisions on growing their companies and hiring new employees. Unfortunately, there is more uncertainty today than ever before in those areas.

There is one other major uncertainty that companies face every single day that increasingly is being discussed – will the goods and services that they rely upon to do business make it through our increasingly congested transportation system to them in time? And, will they be able to transport their goods to market?

Companies’ “Just In Time” business models that save time and money for both stores and consumers depend on a transportation network that provides reliable, fast, safe and cost-effective performance. Meanwhile, our transportation infrastructure is failing to keep pace with the demands of our growing population and the 21st century economy, threatening this innovative delivery system that business has come to rely upon.

In the near term, if we are to fix our aging infrastructure and make needed improvements, all funding options must be on the table, including an increase in the gas tax (which could be balanced with tax cuts elsewhere so as to be revenue neutral for taxpayers); new revenue streams realized through tax reform; or one-shot infusions from sources such as repatriation of foreign profits.Congress must put a responsible package together, one that commits national resources to national priorities and ensures that dollars are spent wisely, and do so before the current extension of the highway law expires at the end of May.

Government has for too long failed to make long-term investments in transportation leading to a crumbling transportation system that disadvantages our economy now and in the future. Until all Americans demand better results and increased investment from their state, local and federal governments, transportation issues will continue to be left on the back burner. In the meantime, the list of needs will grow and become more expensive to address while businesses of all kinds are forced to contend with growing challenges to their mobility, which in turn threatens economic growth and job creation.

If we want American businesses to thrive, we need to ensure that they have the certainty they need to plan ahead. That includes a reliable transportation system upon which they can depend.