The coming 2026 Surface Transportation Reauthorization, which sets priorities and funding levels every five years, has a unique opportunity to address two converging crises: a nearly insolvent Highway Trust Fund (HTF) and a broken permitting system that continues to erode the purchasing power of every dollar spent on infrastructure.
Congress should condition parts of federal highway dollars on states’ adoption of streamlined permitting practices. This could be mutually beneficial for both predicaments.
The HTF is not in great shape. Federal taxes collected per gallon of fuel sold (18.4 cents for gas and 24.4 cents for diesel) have not changed since 1993 and no longer cover infrastructure spending. Congress has taken an additional $275 billion from taxpayers since 2008 to cover the difference, and the Congressional Budget Office projects an overall deficit of more than $240 billion by 2033.
Kristen Walker is Senior Policy Analyst and Manager for Energy and Transportation with the American Consumer Institute, a nonprofit education and research organization. Follow ACI on X @ConsumerPal.