Members of Congress are likely to go home and campaign for re-election in 10 days without giving state Departments of Transportation the ability to plan for infrastructure investments that were promised in the Fixing America’s Surface Transportation (FAST) Act, reports the National Stone, Sand & Gravel Association (NSSGA).
According to NSSGA, government funding is set to expire Sept. 30, and there is no final action on the 2017 Transportation, Housing and Urban Development appropriations bill planned as of now.
NSSGA adds that Congress is likely to consider a continuing resolution that would keep federal programs at their 2016 levels.
“Year after year Congress does the politically expedient thing rather than properly supporting the nation’s transportation infrastructure,” says Mike Johnson, NSSGA president and CEO. “Delaying increases in funding results in fewer jobs created and more uncertainty at a time when economic investment in our communities is needed more than ever.”
States are still expected to receive authorized increases from the FAST Act, but only until after Congress passes an entire fiscal 2017 funding package, NSSGA reports.
