The IIJA is Delivering, But Infrastructure Funding Faces Political Headwinds

No Time For Delays

Without question, the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) is finally moving critical infrastructure projects forward with new funding to states. Yet the gulf between Democratic and Republican lawmakers on the importance of funding transportation is omnipresent.
This is despite a March NBC/NORC poll which concluded that, among categories where American adults would like to see more spending, 62 percent said there is too little spent on infrastructure.
While the IIJA is spurring green energy spending and an economic boost, it could not be more clear that prioritizing funding for the United States’ infrastructure is no longer a bedrock bipartisan issue.
So far, there is no long-term fix for the beleaguered Highway Trust Fund (HTF). The gas tax remains at a 1993 rate, states have pursued their own ballot initiatives to shore up transportation funding, and the feasibility of a federal fee-based revenue source, that would draw on technology to track miles a vehicle is driven in an era of more fuel-efficient and electric cars, is consistently broached.
No Time For Delays discusses some of this with Jeff Davis, Senior Fellow with the Eno Center for Transportation and Editor of the Eno Transportation Weekly, in our newest podcast. The Eno Center for Transportation recently completed a report on the national vehicle miles traveled (VMT)-fee pilot program, which is part of IIJA funding but not yet developed. Eno offers guidance and perspectives on the importance of costs, equity, privacy protection, interoperability, and implementation complexity.
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