Trust Fund Fix Needs Support From House Tea Party, Says Senator Schumer
House and Senate leaders must gain support from House tea party members to advance a proposal that shores up a cash-strapped highway account, Sen. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) told reporters July 7.
Schumer urged lawmakers and transportation groups who want to see Congress approve a boost for the Highway Trust Fund this month to convince many members of the tea party bloc in the House that the country鈥檚 transportation system requires federal assistance.
Schumer explained that without tea party support in the House, the chances of passing a short-term legislative fix for the trust fund would be low. Most tea party lawmakers prefer states and the private sector to manage transportation programs, and senior Republican leaders have backed their views to limit perceptions of a split within their party.
鈥淲e鈥檙e not there yet,鈥 Schumer said. 鈥淭here is a group, and I don鈥檛 think it鈥檚 the majority of even the Republicans in the House, who say that, 鈥楴o, leave it up to the states. The federal government shouldn鈥檛 be doing this.鈥 鈥
Schumer acknowledged that Senate Finance Committee Chairman Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) and his House counterpart, Ways and Means Chairman Dave Camp (R-Mich.), met over the July 4 recess to craft bipartisan legislation to keep the trust fund operable. But their plan has yet to be unveiled. Last month, Wyden offered a bill that would approve about $8 billion to keep the fund solvent through the end of the year by tightening compliance with current tax laws. But Wyden halted the legislation鈥檚 consideration after Republicans vowed to oppose the bill.
Wyden, Schumer and other Democrats warn that a trust fund shortfall would be devastating to the economy, like last year鈥檚 government shutdown, an action that was praised by several members of the tea party.
鈥淲e hope that doesn鈥檛 happen, but given what鈥檚 happened in the past in the Senate and the House 鈥 you can鈥檛 be sure,鈥 Schumer said.
The Department of Transportation estimates the trust fund will run out of money in August, leaving congressional transportation leaders with just a few weeks to unveil legislation that fiscal conservatives and moderate lawmakers could support. The fund reimburses states for large-scale infrastructure projects.
Congress has had multiple chances to approve funding for transportation projects. Since the start of the 113th Congress in January 2013, more than a dozen lawmakers have introduced legislation aimed at boosting transportation accounts through tax incentives, creating infrastructure banks or raising the national gas tax.