Last week, SCAPA members visited with members of Congress as part of the Transportation Construction Coalition's annual Fly-In in Washington, DC.
The first day of the TCC Fly-In included briefings from Senator Thomas Carper, Representative Jim Renacci, David Wasserman from the Cook Political Report, and Congressman Sam Graves. The following day, SCAPA members met with members from South Carolina’s delegation to include Senator Tim Scott, Congressman Mick Mulvaney, Congressman Jeff Duncan, Congressman Joe Wilson, and members of staff from the offices of Congressman Trey Gowdy and Congressman Tom Rice.
During the meetings, SCAPA members thanked Congress for the passage of the "Fixing America’s Surface Transportation Act," or FAST Act. The December 4, 2015 FAST Act temporarily stabilizes federal highway and public transportation investment. The new law transfers $70 billion from the federal General Fund to supplement an estimated $208 billion in HTF revenue from existing sources over the next five years. As a result of failing to address the fund’s permanent structural deficit, the same dynamic that caused six separate revenue shortfalls since 2008 will return once the FAST Act expires absent remedial action by Congress.
Given the looming crisis facing the Highway Trust Fund, the group encouraged Congress to develop and enact a permanent Highway Trust Fund revenue increase well before the FAST Act expires.
Although Congress made great strides with the passage of the FAST Act, there is still more work to do! SCAPA members are urged to contact their members of Congress and ask them to fix the Highway Trust Fund.
