Title: Highway Trust Fund Basics: A Primer on Federal Surface Transportation Spending | The Heritage Foundation
Headings: Highway Trust Fund Basics: A Primer on Federal Surface Transportation Spending
Highway Trust Fund Basics: A Primer on Federal Surface Transportation Spending
Highway Trust Fund Overview
Condition of the Nation’s Roads and Bridges
State Action on Transportation Funding
Proposed Approaches to Address the Highway Trust Fund Budget
Conclusion
Authors

Content: Highway Trust Fund Basics: A Primer on Federal Surface Transportation Spending | The Heritage Foundation
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Highway Trust Fund Basics: A Primer on Federal Surface Transportation Spending
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Highway Trust Fund Basics: A Primer on Federal Surface Transportation Spending
May 11, 2015 10 min read Download Report
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As federal transportation spending consistently outpaces the fuel tax revenues that fund it, the federal government is yet again at an impasse. The Highway Trust Fund, which disburses federal funds to build and maintain road and transit projects, faces a shortfall that will exhaust the fund shortly after the 2014 extension of the Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century (MAP-21) Act expires on May 31. If necessary, the Department of Transportation can take measures to continue disbursing funds until approximately the end of July. [ 1]
In recent years Congress has routinely addressed the Highway Trust Fund shortfall by transferring money ($62 billion since 2008) from the general fund. However, these bailouts are not a viable long-term solution and indicate that federal highway funding requires extensive structural reform. [ 2] This paper gives an overview of the Highway Trust Fund, its role in transportation funding, and the current state of its finances. Highway Trust Fund Overview
The Highway Trust Fund collects and distributes money dedicated to federal highway and transit projects.