I am one of the many individuals in our community who is concerned about the future of our nation's deteriorating transportation infrastructure. Congress has an unprecedented opportunity this year to reinforce our national commitment to a reliable and safe transportation system.
The U.S. Department of Transportation has reported the federal government needs to spend an additional $15 billion annually just to maintain existing roads and bridges. As we all know, there are highways and bridges in our area that are desperately in need of work. The federal government imposes a user fee on motor fuels, and the revenue generated is supposed to support our highway and mass-transit programs. However, a portion of this user fee (4.3 cents) is currently being diverted to other purposes. Additionally, officials are not spending all of the money collected and are allowing this growing surplus to serve as a budgetary gimmick that masks the true size of our nation's deficit.I support balancing the federal budget, but this should be accomplished through fiscal responsibility, not robbing our transportation programs. Congress can do something about this problem without raising our taxes, unlike many of the problems facing the federal government.
Legislation is pending before Congress that would take the four federal transportation trust funds off the budget and allow the unexpended balances to be utilized. An identical bill passed the U.S. House of Representatives last year by a 284-143 bipartisan vote.
An effective and safe transportation system is integral to our nation's quality of life, strong economy and international competitiveness. Congress should invest in the future of our country.
Richard C. Clyde
Orem