U.S. Chamber Urges Congress to Restore Highway Funds

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The United States Chamber of Commerce today urged lawmakers to support legislation introduced by a bipartisan group of House and Senate members to cut in half the projected $8.6 billion budgetary shortfall in highway funding for fiscal year 2003.

"We cannot afford to put off much-needed improvements in critical highway projects when the necessary funds have already been collected," said Thomas Donohue, Chamber president and CEO. "The government needs to use these dedicated funds to ensure an efficient, safe transportation system that is vital to our just-in-time economy and our way of life."

The Highway Funding Restoration Act (H.R. 3694 and S. 1917), introduced by the leadership of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee and the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, would restore the floor for highway funding to the authorized level called for under the TEA-21 bill, using part of the $19 billion highway trust fund surplus and leaving the door open to achieve the full fiscal year 2002 funding level.

"We have a highway trust fund surplus of $19 billion in dedicated taxpayer money and that money must be spent," said Donohue. "Each $1 billion spent on transportation construction and maintenance means 42,000 jobs."

As the leader of the Americans for Transportation Mobility (ATM) coalition, the Chamber is working with the administration and Congress during the budget process to ensure that transportation user fees are fully used to meet the nation's growing infrastructure needs. The coalition currently includes more than 300 trade, state, and local organizations.

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce is the world's largest business federation, representing more than three million businesses and organizations of every size, sector, and region.

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