|
|
Article: Congress May Be Straddling Lanes on Use of Highway Trust Fund
- Article from:
- The Washington Post
- Article date:
- September 22, 1997
- Author:
CopyrightThis material is published under license from the Washington Post. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Washington Post. (Hide copyright information)
|
It's small wonder that Rep. Bud Shuster (R-Pa.) and other
champions of concrete and asphalt projects are locked in a bitter
struggle with congressional leaders over control of the federal
highway trust fund.
In an era of deficit reduction and fiscal prudence, surpluses
in the bulging highway trust fund loom as a tantalizing target for
the stewards of the nation's highway programs. Yet Congress has
restricted spending from the fund for highway purposes, even as
revenues from the federal gasoline and diesel fuel tax continue to
dramatically mount.
This year, for example, trust fund revenues totaled $26.3
billion while about $24 billion was spent on highways and mass
transit -- ...