DALLAS — The International Brotherhood of Teamsters union and a group of New England governors have joined the chorus of transportation advocates pressing members of Congress for prompt action on a multiyear highway and transit funding bill when they return on Sept. 8 from their August recess.
The New England governors, meeting with their Canadian counterparts in Nova Scotia this week, sent a letter on Monday to House and Senate committee chairs encouraging them to "enact a fully funded, multiyear authorization bill that includes a sustainable revenue stream dedicated to the Highway Trust Fund" before the current 90-day funding extension expires on Oct. 29.
The governors rejected efforts in Congress to lower the federal gasoline tax and turn over most transportation funding to the states, a process known as devolution.
"The federal government must remain a strong and consistent partner in transportation funding with the states, with predictable, annual federal transportation funding to ensure the effective planning and implementation of all transportation programs," they said in the letter.
The six-year DRIVE Act passed by the Senate on July 31 after the House had recessed for the summer break should be the starting point for negotiations on the next federal transportation program, the governors said.
Revenues dedicated to the HTF must be increased to meet future transportation needs, they said. Current collections from the federal gasoline and other taxes lag about $13 billion a year behind expenditures and the gap is expected to grow.
"A contemporary and sustainable mechanism for the HTF is urgently required to finance the maintenance and expansion of America's vital transportation infrastructure," they said.
The governors also asked for more tolling options and increased federal encouragement of state infrastructure banks.
The letter was sent to the chairmen and ranking minority members of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee and Ways and Means Committees, as well as the Senate's Environmental and Public Works, Banking, Commerce, and Finance committees. It was signed by Connecticut Gov. Dannel P. Malloy, a Democrat who chairs the New England Coalition of Governors, and Massachusetts Gov. Charles Baker, a Republican who is the group's vice chairman.
Teamsters president James Hoffa said Wednesday that the union will kick off its "Let's Get America Working" campaign next week with radio and print ads in the Washington area that stress the benefits of long-term transportation funding.
Similar ads sponsored by the Transportation Construction Coalition are running this week in the home districts of Republican members of the House Transportation and Ways and Means committees.
Hoffa said increased investments in transportation and other public infrastructure would benefit workers as well as big business but Congress has been unable to agree on a multiyear highway bill during the last 10 years.
"Meanwhile, the transportation system continues to crumble and the safety of those who work and travel along the vast network of U.S. roads and rails is being jeopardized," he said. "Infrastructure presents an opportunity to break the political gridlock."
The short extension that keeps federal transportation funding flowing only through Oct. 29 should be the last quick fix, Hoffa said.
"While some lawmakers seem content to ignore our broad transportation infrastructure needs, it is clear many U.S. roads and bridges don't have the luxury of time to be fixed," he said. "Congress must put aside partisan agendas and work together. No more delays and no more short-term patches."
