By a vote of 217-214 the House completed action this week on five of the remaining six FY 2026 appropriations bills and President Trump has signed the measure. As part of the agreement to get the funding package completed the Department of Homeland Security measure was extended under a continuing resolution for two weeks while negotiations continue on ICE enforcement reforms.
The Eno Center for Transportation recently released a report, “Rising Construction Costs: Analyzing the Contributors to Cost Escalations and the Impact on Federal Transportation Infrastructure Investments.” This whitepaper analyzes increases in construction costs from the pandemic to today. Factors include pandemic-based supply chain issues, labor market changes, petroleum price increases, and increased demand for contractors. The paper looks at competing metrics to determine construction inflation and how this can undermine the funding made available through Federal transportation legislation. The paper also explores potential implications of a higher baseline for project costs and how the industry is adapting to continued uncertainty.
The Senate Environment and Public Works Committee held a hearing April 30 for water and wastewater experts to report on the impacts of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) in addressing major infrastructure repairs and upgrades much needed by state and local agencies. The experts called repeatedly for Congress to fully appropriate funding at authorized levels for fiscal 2026. This would mean at least $3.25 billion for both the Drinking Water and Clean Water SRFs and for the legislation to be reauthorized with increased infrastructure funding for rural communities, in particular, with focus on ways to improve the 2021 law's water infrastructure provisions.
The House Subcommittee on highways and transit held a hearing on April 29 to address long-term solution for the Highway Trust Fund revenue shortfall. The HTF has faced an insolvency crisis dating back to at least 2008, as current user fees are no longer sufficient to sustain necessary investment in our surface infrastructure needs. The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) failed to address this issue and only made matters worse by increasing spending $102 billion and relying on a general fund transfer of $118 billion in support. The subcommittee chairman said Republicans support investing in infrastructure, but our highway funding system is founded upon the principle that roadway users must pay for their use of the system. Failing to restructure our surface transportation funding sources will have severe consequences for our nation’s transportation system and the American people. He said, as part of reconciliation, the Committee will vote on a proposal to leverage existing state vehicle registration systems and assess a new fee of $200 on electric vehicles (EVs), $100 on hybrid vehicles, and a $20 fee on most other passenger vehicles. If approved, these new user fees would represent the first new funding streams into the Highway Trust Fund in more than 30 years.
Reports out of Washington about the slow pace of spending from the massive infrastructure funding Congress approved and the President signed continue to put pressure on federal and state agencies to get the money out. The huge influx of money has been a boon to consultants to plan and design projects eligible for the federal spending. The American Road and Transportation Builders Association continues to track the flow of construction funds.
Highway contractors, dealers, manufacturers, insurers and all channels of the infrastructure industry will converge on Capitol Hill next week to remind Congress of the significant needs to insure safe and efficient transportation systems.
The key talking points being used are:
• The Highway Trust Fund is still under construction and needs congressional support.
• Airports need a significant investment to keep up with the growing demand and increased technology.
• Regulatory obstacles remain and are costly and nonproductive.
• Congress should keep to its five-year commitment made in the $1.2 trillion infrastructure investment act.
More than 36,000 transportation improvement projects – including at least one in every congressional district – have moved forward in the past 16 months as implementation of the federal Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) continues, American Road & Transportation Builders Association (ARTBA) Chair Paula Hammond told a congressional panel March 28.
About 70 House of Representatives staffers packed a Capitol Hill briefing room Sept. 22 to hear ARTBA Chief Economist Dr. Alison Premo Black deliver an update on the state of funding nationwide for road and bridge projects as the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) approaches its first anniversary. Both Republican and Democratic staffers attended the standing room-only event.
John Drake, the new Executive Director of the Americans for Transportation Mobility (ATM) Coalition and Vice President for Transportation, Infrastructure and Supply Chain Policy at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, is thinking about tomorrow.
An industry coalition of public and private sector stakeholders in the transportation industry recently wrote to Congress to extend their appreciation for the robust transportation infrastructure funding included in the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA).