ATA and allies warn Congress about dangerous devolution of highway program

by Truck News

ARLINGTON, Va. – The American Trucking Associations and 37 other organizations wrote a letter to Congress today warning them about the dangers of devolving the federal highway program and urged passage of a long-term highway bill that ensures a federal role in transportation.

“As the nation’s primary movers of interstate commerce, a uniform transportation system is of paramount importance,” said ATA president and CEO Bill Graves. “Congress should reject dangerous calls to abdicate its Constitutional responsibility to manage and fund the federal highway program and pass a strong, long-term highway bill this spring.”

The letter stated the ATA and allies “strongly oppose ‘devolution’ proposals such as the ‘Transportation Empowerment Act,’ previously introduced and considered in the 113th Congress.  TEA is an ill-conceived proposal that would strip away most federal funding for surface transportation projects, essentially eliminating the federal government’s constitutionally mandated role in promoting interstate commerce.”

“Congress soundly rejected the devolution idea last year, and they did so for good reason,” Graves added. “Our economic health depends on modern infrastructure and rehashing settled issues like this delay real action to address the nation’s pressing need for improved roads and bridges. There are no Democratic bridges or Republican roads, Congress should stop putting off real action and pass a long-term bill before the current authorization expires in May.”

You can read the full letter here.


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