Transportation For America Senate tax bill greenlights a torrent of cuts to transportation programs

Senate tax bill greenlights a torrent of cuts to transportation programs

2 Dec 2017 | Posted by Transportation for America | 7 Comments | Press Releases, senate, tax reform

After the United States Senate voted early Saturday morning to approve passage of their tax reform bill, T4America director Kevin F. Thompson released the following statement.

“The Senate’s action today on tax reform may be a cause for celebration for some, but it greenlights a torrent of cuts to vital transportation programs and infrastructure investments that will ultimately leave our cities and towns, large and small across the nation, less competitive. Whether cuts to the funding to improve or expand public transportation systems or the competitive grants that support the smartest projects, these cuts to transportation programs and investments are a blow to every community working hard to improve access to jobs and opportunity.

“This tax reform measure triggers ten years of annual automatic cuts to transportation programs unless Congress takes further action, and it may also signal the final demise of a national infrastructure package. After creating more than a trillion dollars in new debt, it is difficult to fathom where this Congress will find the resources to pay for another trillion-dollar program. Long-term, that means our country falls further behind, our economy suffers and the cost of any future infrastructure investments are even more prohibitive.”

7 Comments

Duane Chattin
7 years ago

Congress chose short term gain leading to long term decline—and we all will pay the price for such short sighted and irresponsible leadership.
Christopher Keller
7 years ago

All the more reason to de-federalize transportation taxation and spending. Downsize FHWA to simply administer Federal Highway System and keep them and Congress out of state and local appropriations.
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James W. Martin
7 years ago

Campaign promises of expanded infrastructure projects seems to be long forgotten. Poker table politics of current administration ignores the safety, and pollution issues that revolve around poor transportation system. As former state board of transportation member, I am disappointed how transportation funding has decreased in real terms. Raise the gas tax!
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