CEI Coalition Letter to Surface Transportation Reauthorization Conferees Supporting the Broun Motion to Instruct

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Dear Member of the Conference Committee on Surface Transportation Reauthorization,

As public interest groups dedicated to free enterprise and fiscally responsible government, we write to express our support of Rep. Paul Broun’s motion instructing conferees to constrain surface transportation spending at levels no greater than projected Highway Trust Fund revenues for FY 2013.

The current Senate transportation bill practically abandons the user-pays/user-benefits transportation funding principle, which has guided federal investment in transportation infrastructure since the Interstate Highway System was created in 1956. Adopting Rep. Broun’s suggestions is the only sensible path forward; indeed, it is the only fiscally responsible path forward.

If Congress enacts a highway bill that fails to meaningfully constrain surface transportation spending, it will effectively leave taxpayers on the hook to bail out the Highway Trust Fund. Such an outcome would be fiscally dangerous and contradict Americans’ shared interest in preserving an efficient and fair surface transportation network.

Therefore, we strongly urge you to support Rep. Broun’s motion and oppose further Highway Trust Fund bailouts.