Committee this summer; as written, it is the largest highway reauthorization
in history and includes the following highlights:
•• $5.5 billion over five years for the Nationally Significant Freight
and Highway Projects program
•• $6 billion over five years for new competitive grants for bridges
•• $2.9 billion for the Tribal Transportation Program
•• $2.1 billion over five years for the Federal Lands Transportation
Program
•• $4.9 billion over five years in a new resiliency program to protect
roads and bridges from natural disasters
•• $3 billion over five years for the states to support projects
aimed at lowering highway-related carbon emissions
•• $1 billion over five years in competitive grants for alternative
fuel infrastructure
Of course, this initial offering has a long way to go on Capitol
Hill with other Senate and House Committees getting further input
into the components. The good news is, despite what has become
a polarized political environment, there is solid common ground
on which lawmakers from both parties will stand when it comes
to infrastructure needs for America. There is reason to believe that
congressional leadership will continue to shepherd the surface
transportation reauthorization to an eventual passage – the timing
is the biggest question.
Unfortunately, history tells us that significant action on federal
infrastructure measures often get put on the backburner in an
election year. In case you haven’t been paying attention, 2020 is a
presidential election year. President Trump has already activated
his reelection campaign and there is a robust group of challengers
vying for their shot at the Oval Office. The 2020 campaign season is
in full force right now which, if history tells us anything, will hamper
progress on the surface transportation reauthorization.
But that doesn’t mean we sit idle and wait. While we as professionals
in the construction industry don’t hold the gavel that
moves legislation through the process, we can be certain to support
candidates who recognize the critical nature of infrastructure
modernization in America and can go to Washington to see
that the necessary legislative business gets done to pass bills like
the mandatory renewal of the soon-to-expire FAST Act. Every
Congressional district in America is up for reelection in 2020, onethird
of the U.S. Senate seats are in play, and – of course – we will
decide whether or not to give President Trump another four years.
PDCA is not a political organization and we do not advocate for
or endorse individual candidates. But we can comfortably and collectively
say that those politicians who have a track record in elected
office of successfully passing infrastructure-related measures
are worth your consideration. Also, there will be a lot of candidates
around the country coming from outside of politics – some may be
from the construction sector. We should be paying attention to the
platforms those candidates present as well, because they can bring
an important perspective to the conversation, one that recognizes
the significant impact that federal infrastructure initiatives have
on this country. Again, not only do they contribute to a prospering
business environment, but they keep unemployment numbers
low, they have a dramatic trickle-down effect on supporting businesses
and services and they ensure that our families are safe when
they’re driving on our roads, crossing our bridges and living and
working in our communities. t
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