Congress Explores Highway Trust Fund Solvency, Solutions

What happened: Road usage charges, electric vehicles, and tolling were discussed during an Oct. 18 hearing of the House Highways and Transit Subcommittee. The session focused on the looming revenue shortfall facing the Highway Trust Fund (HTF) in 2027, and featured testimony from state transportation officials and highway user fee revenue experts.

The varying perspectives expressed during the hearing illustrate how challenging it will be for Congress to coalesce around a viable solution.

Why it matters: The HTF requires roughly $150 billion in additional revenue to maintain existing investment levels and another $90 billion for non-HTF surface transportation investments.

ARTBA and 23 organizations sent a letter praising the committee for beginning the conversations to identify and build support for an HTF fix.

What’s next: ARTBA will continue to advocate for any and all user-based options to raise revenue, including Senator Deb Fischer’s (R-Neb.) S. 2882, the Stop EV Freeloading Act.