With the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) set to expire and the BUILD America 250 Act awaiting a floor vote, U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy has outlined the Trump administration’s priorities should Congress pursue a short-term extension of surface transportation programs.
In a July 22 letter to the leadership of the Senate committees on Environment and Public Works; Commerce, Science, and Transportation; and Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs, Duffy urged lawmakers to include several policy changes in any temporary extension.
“If a short-term extension of current authorities becomes necessary, we strongly urge Congress to adopt a set of critical policy priorities,” the letter states. “We view these surface transportation reauthorization (STR) proposals not merely as stopgaps, but as essential markers and anchors for the longer-term surface transportation reauthorization bill.”
While the letter includes several transit-focused recommendations, it also outlines a number of proposals affecting the roads and bridges sector.
Road and Bridge Priorities
Among the recommendations are:
- Advanced Safety Automated Vehicle (AV) Innovation – Modernize regulations to accelerate autonomous vehicle deployment, establish a voluntary federal AV pilot program, lift deployment caps and develop Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (FMVSS) for driverless vehicles while maintaining safety oversight through the mandatory Safety Management Systems and national data-sharing initiatives.
- Expanding and Modernizing Infrastructure – Create a new competitive grant program to accelerate Interstate expansion, address major freight bottlenecks and support large-scale deployment of digital infrastructure and transportation technology.
- Restoring Highway Trust Fund Solvency – Eliminate the Mass Transit Account and consolidate federal fuel tax revenues into the Highway Account, arguing that the current structure contributes to the trust fund’s long-term deficit.
- Protecting Consumer Choice – Prohibit federal mandates requiring vehicles to include wireless data transmission or automated driving capabilities, preserving consumers’ ability to purchase conventional vehicles.
- Prioritize Motor Vehicle Travel Over Bicycle Lanes – Restrict federal funding for bicycle lanes and other bicycle infrastructure projects that reduce roadway capacity for motor vehicles, while supporting the removal of bike lanes that contribute to congestion.
- Consolidate Competitive Grant Programs – Merge several small grant programs created under the IIJA with existing grant programs to reduce application and administrative burdens.
Additional Proposals
The letter also recommends encouraging greater private-sector investment in infrastructure, increasing commercial motor vehicle safety enforcement, eliminating grants that support electric vehicle adoption, adopting a year-round daylight savings time and prohibiting undocumented immigrants and non-English speakers from obtaining commercial drivers’ licenses.
In addition, Duffy recommends allowing several IIJA initiatives to expire, arguing that programs focused on climate change, equity and related priorities represent “wasteful spending” and duplicate existing USDOT grant programs.
Sources: USDOT
