Without an agreement by Congress on the United States Highway Trust Fund, which was set to expire on Sept. 30, road projects across the country would halt due to financial shortage. Through much deliberation, the House and Senate have agreed on funding the Highway Trust Fund through May 2015.
The Senate adopted two amendments to the House’s $10.8 billion Highway and Transportation Funding Act (HR 5021). Of the Senate’s two adopted amendments was the Senate Finance Committee’s Preserving America’s Transit and Highways (PATH) Act of 2014, which would have funded the Highway Trust Fund through May but had slightly different revenue raisers than the House bill, FB News reported.
The House removed all the Senate amendments and returned its own Highway and Transportation Funding Act to the Senate for approval. Running out of time before the August recess, the Senate approved the House bill and has sent it to President Barack Obama for his signature.
American Farm Bureau Federation supports the maintenance and improvement of the nation’s transportation infrastructure, including rural highways and farm-to-market roads.