After Patriotic Weekend, Congress is Back to Work on Highway Trust Fund

Press Release

Congress is back in session following the Fourth of July holiday, and we have several important items on the agenda to accomplish for the American people over the next three weeks. This week began after a very patriotic weekend. On Saturday, we celebrated America's birthday - 239 years of "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.' We are grateful for the men and women who have worn and currently wear our nation's uniform so we can celebrate our independence year after year. On Sunday, we celebrated our country through an event that doesn't happen annually -- our United States Women's National Team winning the World Cup for the third time! The last time USA women won the World Cup Brandi Chastain shot the winning penalty kick to defeat China in 1999. It was a big weekend of festivities for America, to say the least, and these next three weeks we will continue the spirit as Congress focuses on protecting and improving the lives of Ohioans and people across the country.

Estimates indicate that by the end of this month, the Highway Trust Fund (HTF) will face insolvency. With funding running out at the end of July, we need a long-term solution to fix our failing infrastructure. The current federal investment will dry up without action from Congress and the long-term cost to our economy and taxpayers will be devastating. Ohio's infrastructure is our lifeline -- it gets Ohioans to work and school and back home, brings families together, and keeps our economy growing by allowing for the transport of goods.

Subpar and sometimes dangerous road conditions are common for many drivers in Ohio and across the country, which is both a safety concern and a challenge for our economic growth. With over 125,000 miles of roads, Ohio has one of the largest and most utilized roadway networks in the United States and over 40% of Ohio's roads are in critical, poor, or fair condition, according to the American Society of Civil Engineers.

Unfortunately, Congress is poised to pass a short-term HTF patch yet again. A Band-Aid fix for something as important as investment in our national infrastructure system is detrimental not only to Ohio communities, but to communities nationwide. I will continue to advocate for long-term, multi-year transportation reauthorization plan that is adequately funded through a user-fee system. I believe this is the driving solution to maintaining and improving our roads and bridges. My bipartisan bill is one solution to fixing our deteriorating roads and bridges, once and for all: Bridge to Sustainable Infrastructure Act. This bill would ensure Congress funds our transportation infrastructure for at least 10 years, providing certainty and predictability to our states, counties, and cities.

Long-term solutions put Congress in a position to move forward and focus on other important items such as tax reform, reducing our national debt, and fixing federal overregulation. We are fortunate to live in a place where democracy exists. Congress must work together, and it's my hope that the patriotism experienced this past weekend will be an inspiration to my colleagues and me over the coming weeks and months.

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