As we mark the midpoint of Infrastructure Week, it’s the perfect time to check in on the state of our nation’s infrastructure. Congress is currently drafting a new surface transportation and infrastructure bill, following the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA)—a monumental piece of legislation that marked the largest federal investment in American infrastructure in half a century.
But let’s be honest: America’s infrastructure still needs serious attention. The U.S. Chamber has outlined some key priorities that lawmakers must address to keep America on track for long-term growth and global competitiveness:
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Bolster America’s Economic Growth and Competitiveness Through Targeted Investments: Congress must maintain—and build on—the funding levels established in the IIJA to advance critical infrastructure, including roads, bridges, railways, transit systems, and ports.
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Cut Red Tape for Faster Progress: One of the biggest barriers to infrastructure is our outdated federal permitting process, which often adds years of delays and unnecessary costs. Lawmakers must prioritize streamlining and modernizing permitting processes, and removing harmful bureaucratic roadblocks.
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Safety and Reliability for the Long Haul: To have a dependable infrastructure, we need to invest in roads, bridges, ports, and transit systems that are reliable against weather-related and man-made disruptions.
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Restore Stable Funding to Transportation Projects: The U.S. Chamber is calling on Congress to restore the “user fee” as the cornerstone of surface transportation funding. Congress must modernize the user fee to reflect the realities of rising construction costs, the improving fuel efficiency of gasoline-powered vehicles, and the growing share of electric vehicles traveling on our roads.
