White House has extra asks for stalled federal highway bill

By Thérèse Boudreaux
The Center Square

With Congress facing a deadline in two months to renew funding for transportation infrastructure nationwide, the Trump administration is urging lawmakers to codify its list of priorities before they recess in August.

Current U.S. surface transportation law expires Sept. 30. The bipartisan BUILD America 250 Act, a five-year surface transportation reauthorization bill costing $580 billion, cleared the House Transportation and Infrastructure in May.

As it is still not scheduled for a floor vote, Congress will likely pass a short-term extension.

“If a short-term extension of current authorities becomes necessary, we strongly urge Congress to adopt a set of critical policy priorities,” Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy wrote to committee lawmakers in a letter released Wednesday.

“Incorporating these focused priorities into surface transportation reauthorization efforts will provide immediate, transformative benefits to American transportation safety, infrastructure scalability, and consumer rights, and lay a robust foundation for a comprehensive multi-year reauthorization bill,” he added.

Key requests Duffy laid out include strategies to boost revenue for the dwindling Highway Trust Fund that funds the maintenance, repair and building of U.S. highways and mass transit systems.

The HTF, which goes insolvent in 2028, is composed of the Highway Fund and the Mass Transit Fund; the Trump administration proposes Congress consolidate all fuel tax revenues into the Highway Fund. DOT argues that reestablishing a direct user-pays model will help address the funding shortfall.

Another major requested change concerns the rise of autonomous vehicles (AVs), including “robotaxis” and driverless delivery trucks. While the Build America 250 Act would create the first framework for autonomous commercial motor vehicles, the Trump administration wants Congress to go a step further and establish a voluntary AV pilot program that would preempt state laws.

The administration also proposes expanding private sector investments in infrastructure, boosting commercial motor vehicle safety enforcement, and prohibiting any federal or state mandates requiring vehicles to have automated driving or wireless data transmission.

More controversial proposals include rescinding grants to incentivize electric vehicle adoption, implementing year-round daylight savings time, and incorporating Delilah’s Law, a Republican bill that would forbid illegal immigrants and non-English speakers from obtaining commercial drivers’ licenses.

Lawmakers have already included some of the Trump administration requests in the BUILD America 250 Act, such as the Railway Safety Act, which closely resembles a bill that Vice President JD Vance introduced during his term as a U.S. senator for Ohio.

“Although this Administration is eager to see a long-term funding bill passed by Congress, if an extension is likely that opportunity, it should not be wasted,” Duffy reiterated. “We urge Congress to include Administration policy priorities as part of any extension or surface transportation reauthorization efforts.”

The American Society of Civil Engineers’ gave mixed reviews on the quality of the nation’s transportation infrastructure in its 2025 Infrastructure Report Card.

Rail received a “B-” grade and bridges received a “C” grade, but roads received a “D+” grade and public transit received only a “D.”