Surface transportation bill a key theme of FHWA hearing
Senate leaders outlined priorities for the next reauthorization as McMaster highlighted safety, project delivery, and infrastructure investment while NAPA urged action on key industry priorities.
Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) Administrator Sean McMaster detailed how FHWA is working to expand, restore, and modernize highways and bridges during a Senate Environment and Public Works (EPW) Committee hearing June 3.
“FHWA is focused on large, durable projects that enhance safety—our top priority—while connecting our country and our people,” McMaster said during a hearing on the administration’s $66.2 billion fiscal year (FY) 2027 budget request.
While the FY27 budget request was the reason for the hearing, formula funding, Highway Trust Fund revenue, and permitting reform were also topics of discussion.
And critically, surface transportation reauthorization played a central role.
Surface Transportation Reauthorization Shapes Discussion
In her opening statement, Chair Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV) said lessons learned from recent transportation investments are helping shape the next surface transportation reauthorization, which she said will focus on improving safety and reliability, modernizing federal programs, and addressing the diverse transportation needs of states across the country.
“To achieve these principles,” she said, “I am focused on crafting a bill that targets investments in road and bridge projects through flexible, predictable formula funds to the states to deliver on-time and on-budget projects. I am working to cut administrative overhead, reduce duplicative programs and avoid federal overreach so that we can avoid future grants backlogs, funding lapses and project delays.”
McMaster emphasized the administration’s efforts to boost work zone safety and accelerate project delivery, while senators discussed the challenges of discretionary grant delivery compared to formula funding, all of which are critical components of the BUILD America 250 Act, which the House Transportation & Infrastructure Committee advanced 62-2 in May.
McMaster also voiced support for the electric and hybrid vehicle fees include in the BUILD America 250 Act, saying that Department of Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy and he each believe strongly that “the people who are using our roads should participate in supporting the maintenance, upkeep, and operations of those roads.”
While Ranking Member Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) did not share the same enthusiasm for the BUILD America 250 Act, he did outline his commitment to working in a bipartisan way to advance a bill out of the EPW Committee.
“I don’t love their bill, but I do want to acknowledge their hard work to move the process forward,” he said, later adding “this committee is doing what it can” to do its part.
NAPA Letter Applauds McMaster’s Leadership, Outlines Priorities
Ahead of the hearing, NAPA’s Nile Elam, Vice President of Government Affairs, wrote in a letter to the committee that the discussion offered an important opportunity for lawmakers to evaluate how federal transportation policies can support a safer, more efficient, and more reliable transportation network as Congress looks toward the next surface transportation reauthorization.
“This discussion comes at a particularly important moment,” Elam writes. “With the current surface transportation reauthorization set to expire September 30, Congress and the Administration are simultaneously evaluating near-term funding priorities and the long-term policies that will shape America’s transportation system for years to come.”
In his letter, Elam reiterated issues critical to the asphalt pavement industry, such as advancing work zone safety and improving project delivery through permitting reform, both of which are addressed in the BUILD America 250 Act.
“We encourage the Senate to build upon that bipartisan effort and advance a long-term surface transportation reauthorization that strengthens our nation’s infrastructure, improves safety, and supports efficient project delivery,” Elam wrote, echoing a sentiment emphasized by Chair Capito.
“I am committed to working with our partner committees in the Senate and colleagues in the House to deliver a bill to the President’s desk. And certainly, working with my ranking member, Senator Whitehouse as well,” she wrote.
