While most are trying to figure out a way to free up more federal funding for transportation, two Congressmen have introduced a bill that would cut it altogether.
Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah) and Rep. Tom Graves (R-Georgia) have filed the Transportation Empowerment Act (TEA), according to our sister site Better Roads. The bill calls for lowering the federal fuel tax from 18.4 to 3.7 cents per gallon in the next five years.
The federal fuel taxes on gasoline and diesel raise $30 billion each year and thus are the single most important source of transportation funding for the U.S. government. Cutting the gas tax by 80 percent would drastically reduce the federal government’s contribution to transportation.
Instead, the bill would hand over authority and responsibility for funding of highways and programs to the states, Better Roads reports. The measure would also remove congressional appropriations, replacing them with block grants.
Graves has introduced similar legislation one time before and it failed. We wouldn’t expect a much different result this time around either. Read the full report over at Better Roads.