Congress Enacts Two Month Highway Trust Fund Short-Term Patch Through End of July 2015

Facing a May 31 deadline, Congress once again passed a short-term funding patch to avoid imminent insolvency of the Highway Trust Fund. Since September 30, 2014, when the Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century Act expired, Congress has relied on short-term funding laws, commonly known as patches, to finance our nation’s surface transportation infrastructure. NSPE and transportation industry groups have been strongly urging Congress to stop relying on stopgap spending and come up with a long-term authorizing bill that will protect the public health, safety and welfare. While many members of Congress recognize the need to invest in infrastructure, the political will to come up with a bipartisan funding solution has been lacking. For infrastructure to thrive, a long-term commitment in the form of a six-year authorization needs to be enacted. NSPE hopes that Congress will take this time to develop a meaningful solution to our mounting infrastructure needs.