T&I Chairman: HTF deserves ‘more sustainable fiscal path’

Chairman Graves at Hearing with Secretary Duffy: “We Have to Make America Build Again”

House Transportation and Infrastructure Chairman Sam Graves (R-Missouri) issued opening remarks as part of a hearing titled Oversight of the Department of Transportation’s Policies and Programs and Fiscal Year 2026 Budget Request” on July 16.

The full statement can be found on the T&I website.

“The Committee is already working on the next surface transportation bill, which we plan to consider before the end of the year. The current authorization, which is set to expire next September, has plagued infrastructure planning with delays, cost increases, and administrative confusion. This committee has a prime opportunity to refocus on core infrastructure that moves people and goods safely and efficiently, cut red tape and accelerate project delivery, ensure states have the flexibility they need to address their priorities, and shore up the bankrupt Highway Trust Fund. We must maintain the “user pays” principle and offer solutions for putting the Highway Trust Fund on a more sustainable fiscal path. I look forward to working with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to address the Trust Fund’s funding challenges.

Put simply, we have to make America build again.”

-T&I Chairman Sam Graves (R-Missouri)