House Democrats’ framework calls for multimodal freight investment, prioritizes funding for nationally and regionally significant projects

Democrats in the House of Representatives unveiled a five-year outline, titled “Moving Forward Framework,” proposing investments aimed at increasing the safety, resiliency and efficiency of our nation’s infrastructure. The plan calls for a total investment of $760 billion in roads, bridges, transit, rail, seaports, inland waterways, airports, drinking water, wastewater, broadband, and clean energy infrastructure.

Included in the Framework is a list of House Democrat priorities for a five-year surface transportation authorization proposal. The current authorization, the FAST Act, expires September 30, 2020 – less than two months before the 2020 Presidential and Congressional elections.
“The Coalition for America’s Gateways and Trade Corridors (CAGTC) applauds House Democrats for advancing the conversation on our nation’s growing infrastructure needs and outlining a remedy. Importantly, the Framework prioritizes funding freight projects of national and regional significance as well as ensuring that freight projects across all modes are eligible for federal investment,” said Paul Hubler, Chairman of CAGTC and Director of Government and Community Relations for the San Gabriel Valley Council of Governments in Los Angeles County. “The United States Department of Transportation estimates that freight tonnage will increase by 44 percent between 2015 and 2045. To meet this demand, a robust, prioritized approach to federal investment in the nation’s key freight gateways and corridors is necessary. We look forward to working with lawmakers to ensure that our nation’s freight infrastructure is up to task in the coming years.”
The 19-page Framework calls for $434 billion invested in highway and transit programs over a five-year period, prioritizing resiliency, reduced emissions, and improved safety, reliability and efficiency. Recognizing the Highway Trust Fund’s decade-long revenue shortfall, the Framework calls for authorization of a multi-year national pilot program to test alternative transportation user fees, including a vehicle miles traveled fee.
“Existing freight infrastructure investment programs are oversubscribed at a rate of roughly $12 in needs to $1 in funding,” said CAGTC Executive Director Elaine Nessle. “We applaud House Democrats for their proposal to boost funding across the infrastructure spectrum and look forward to working with the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee as well as the Ways and Means Committee to ensure that the level of multimodal freight infrastructure investment is increased to align with needs.”