"YES" on the Broun Motion to Instruct Conferees
"YES" on the Broun Motion to Instruct Conferees
This week, the House will vote on a motion to instruct conferees offered by Congressman Paul Broun (R-Ga.). The procedural motion instructs conferees "to insist on provisions that limit funding for Federal highway and transit programs to levels that can be supported by Highway Trust Fund (HTF) revenues, without transfers from the general fund of the Treasury or other sources."
Taxpayers, as opposed to users, are left on the hook when spending on highway and transit programs outpace revenues coming into the HTF. SAFETEA-LU, the disastrous 2005 transportation bill, resulted in more than $30 billion in general fund transfers.
Last July, House Republicans released a "detailed presentation" of a "reauthorization proposal" that would have kept spending in line with the HTF. The document stated:
The promise of the Trust Fund is that these fees paid by the American people when they use the transportation system will be reinvested in projects that improve their highways, bridges, and transit systems, and not spent on other unrelated federal programs. (page 2)
This proposal puts the "trust" back into the Trust Fund by ensuring that the nation is not spending money it does not have and aligning transportation expenditures with revenues. It authorizes approximately $230 billion over six years from the Highway Trust Fund—funding levels consistent with the amount of revenue being collected—and allows the Trust Fund to stay solvent well into the future. (page 2, emphasis in original)
The presentation went on to say the "current program funding levels are not sustainable." The Broun Motion to Instruct would maintain the "promise" of the Trust fund, ensure sustainable funding levels and protect taxpayers from yet another bailout.
Heritage Action supports the Broun Motion to Instruct Conferees and will include is as a key vote on our scorecard.
Related:
Heritage Action's Scorecard
Will Transportation Reauthorization Be Another Big Spending Boondoggle?
Big Dollars for Transportation
"Turn Back" Transportation to the States
"YES" on the Broun Motion to Instruct Conferees