congress

Rep. DeFazio Introduces Legislation to Invest $500 Billion in Roads, Bridges & Transit

March 22, 2017By. Laura Hale

Today Rep. Peter DeFazio (OR-4), the top Democrat on the House’s Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, introduced legislation to raise approximately $500 billion to repair America’s deteriorating roads, bridges, and transit systems. The bill, H.R. 1664 – Investing in America: A Penny for Progress Act, finances the additional investment by authorizing the Treasury Department to issue......

Read Story

Tags: #fixthetrustfund, 115th Congress, congress, gas tax, highway trust fund, infrastructure, transportation

House Energy & Commerce Committee Holds Infrastructure Hearings

March 21, 2017By. Becky Moylan

Last week, the U.S. House of Representatives’ Energy & Commerce Committee held hearings focused on infrastructure. Among them were two featuring ASCE members’ testimonies—both focusing on the newly released Infrastructure Report Card. These hearings came as Congress continues to consider how best to improve our nation’s infrastructure, in part because of President Trump’s interest in......

Read Story

Tags: congress, dams, Drinking Water, energy

President Trump’s Proposed Budget’s Impact on Infrastructure

March 16, 2017By. Becky Moylan

On Thursday, March 16, President Trump released his first proposed budget as president. Often referred to as the “skinny” budget because it is released soon after a President assumes office, the budget proposal included many cuts to infrastructure programs that in the past have been successful. The following statement is from Norma Jean Mattei, President,......

Read Story

Tags: budget, congress, infrastructure, infrastructure investment, infrastructure report card, President, White House

Congressional Hearings Focus on Aviation, Flood Control

March 03, 2017By. Whitford Remer

As the President’s repeated in his address to Congress his pledge to dramatically increase infrastructure spending to the tune of $1 trillion, various Congressional Committees have been holding hearings to explore the need. While the hearings reflect broad and even growing support on Capitol Hill for infrastructure spending, they also illustrate major hurdles, chief among......

Read Story

Tags: Airports, aviation, congress, FAA Reauthorization, flood protection, levees, USACE, Water Resources, water resources development act

President’s Address Includes Infrastructure

March 01, 2017By. Becky Moylan

On Tuesday night, President Trump addressed a joint-session of Congress for the first time in his presidency. Infrastructure was among the many issues he discussed. The President highlighted the interstate highway system as a the “last truly great national infrastructure program,” before calling for a “new program of national rebuilding” and vowing to ask Congress......

Read Story

Tags: congress, economy, infrastructure, infrastructure investment, infrastructure report card, President

House T&I Committee Examines How to Build a 21st Century Infrastructure

February 02, 2017By. Laura Hale

Yesterday the House Transportation & Infrastructure (T&I) Committee held a hearing titled “Building a 21st Century Infrastructure for America.” It was the Committee’s first hearing in the 115th Congress and came on the heels of both President Trump’s pledge to focus on infrastructure and a trillion dollar infrastructure investment blueprint previewed by Senate Democrats last week. The......

Read Story

Tags: aviation, congress, harbor maintenance trust fund, highway trust fund, house of representatives, infrastructure, infrastructure investment, transportation, water infrastructure

Democrats’ Infrastructure Blueprint Furthers Legislative Conversation

January 26, 2017By. Becky Moylan

Days after President Trump was the first to use the word “infrastructure” in an inaugural address, Senate Democrats doubled-down on his promise to invest in infrastructure by offering their own plan to increase investment by $1 trillion over 10 years, and purportedly create more than 15 million new jobs in the process. The plan, led......

Read Story

Tags: congress, infrastructure, infrastructure investment, surface transportation, Water Resources, WRDA

WRDA Passes The House

September 29, 2016By. Whitford Remer

The U.S. House of Representatives passed H.R. 5303 the Water Resources Development Act of 2016 late yesterday afternoon by a vote of 399-25. The $11.5 billion bill authorizes over three dozen Army Corps of Engineers flood control, navigation and ecosystem restoration projects and studies across the country.  In addition to the base text reported out......

Read Story

Tags: congress, dams, Drinking Water, inland waterways, ports, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Water Resources, WRDA

With Gas Prices Low, Congress Has Opportunity to #FixTheTrustFund

August 08, 2016By. Laura Hale

Last month’s average gas price in the U.S. was the lowest for July since 2004. Cheap gas coupled with an improved economy is spurring Americans to drive more. After a decrease during the recession, vehicle miles traveled (VMT) is climbing again. Summer is the busiest time on U.S. roads and many drivers will find themselves......

Read Story

Tags: #fixthetrustfund, congress, gas tax, highway trust fund, transportation

House Passes Resolution Limiting Options to Fix the Highway Trust Fund

June 10, 2016By. Laura Hale

Today the U.S. House of Representatives passed H. Con. Res. 112, a resolution introduced by Rep. Boustany (R-LA) and co-sponsored by 11 Republicans expressing Congress’ opposition to new fees on oil. As yesterday’s blog post highlighted, this resolution may be non-binding, but it puts Congress on the record in opposition to a viable option for......

Read Story

Tags: #fixthetrustfund, congress, highway trust fund, house of representatives, infrastructure, surface transportation, transportation