America has always been a nation on the move. But an aging and crumbling transportation system is not only slowing Americans down, it’s reducing productivity, undermining our ability to move products across the country and around the world, and increasing congestion and air pollution.
Our transportation system is a tremendous national asset we’ve built up over generations. It has fueled economic growth, enhanced our competitiveness, and created a lot of good jobs. If well-maintained, it can continue to deliver outstanding benefits to all Americans.
America’s transportation system is badly in need of investment. But how do we pay for it?
The simplest, most effective short-term solution is to increase the gas tax, which hasn’t been raised since 1993, even as people drive less and cars become more fuel efficient. And what better time for a small, phased-in increase then when gas prices are tumbling at the pump? It’s a good investment for America, its citizens, and its businesses.
But Americans have every right to insist that any increase comes with guarantees that the money will be spent for its intended purposes, spent wisely on genuine priority projects, and will result in an improvement to our quality of life.
Taxpayers shouldn’t have to bear the entire burden—we need to remove barriers that prevent us from leveraging up to $250 billion in private capital for transportation projects.
Adequate funding is only one of the Chamber’s transportation priorities. We also support:
Deteriorating infrastructure hurts companies' bottom lines.
155,000 jobs were created in November. The unemployment rate is 3.7%.
Forcing aviation users to pay for the Port Authority Trans-Hudson Corporation (PATH) railway is not the right approach.
As we celebrate the success of small business, let’s remove the barriers to their further growth and prosperity.
The aviation industry is not resting on its laurels.
Top industry leaders will tackle these issues at the 2018 Aviation Summit.
The U.S. Chamber will be listening intently to see what the administration aims to achieve this year.
While air cargo represents less than 1% of global trade in terms of volume, it accounts for 35% in value
Ed Mortimer's op-ed for InsideSources reinforces the Chamber's commitment to saving U.S. infrastructure.
Our nation’s roads, bridges and highways are crumbling. Here - with a little help from emojis - is how to fix them.
From shipping to staffing, the Chamber and its partners have the tools to save your business money and the solutions to help you run it more efficiently. Join the U.S. Chamber of Commerce today to start saving.
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