House Committee missing opportunity to fund cleaner, more affordable transportation

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. — The House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee has released text for its upcoming surface transportation reauthorization, the “BUILD America 250 Act.” Congress faces a September 30th deadline to act on federal transportation programs, and this bill proposes a 5-year funding and policy framework for highways and bridges, public transit systems, passenger and freight rail, road safety, and infrastructure resilience.  

The proposed bill would not build the cleaner, more accessible, and more affordable transportation system that our nation needs. The bill:  

• Imposes a punitive tax on electric vehicle drivers  
• Eliminates key EV charging programs, the Carbon Reduction Program, and programs to electrify public transit buses and ports  
• Cuts dedicated funding to make roads and bridges more resilient to flooding and other disasters  
• Gives state highway departments unchecked flexibility, without sufficient accountability  
• Does not hold the Trump Administration accountable for freezing federal funds that Congress has already provided   

While the proposed investments in public transit and passenger rail are a relatively good starting point, more funding is needed for these transportation options.  

Congress should take this opportunity to build on the economic and environmental benefits of electrification. Instead, this bill cuts most dedicated funding for electrification and proposes a punitive tax of up to $150 annually on EV drivers. This is significantly more than the average driver pays in federal gas tax, and does little to address the insolvency facing the Highway Trust Fund. This is especially harmful for drivers in the South who already pay some of the nation’s highest EV fees, in many cases exceeding $200 per year.  

“With gas prices on the rise, now is not the time to saddle drivers with a Clean Car Tax and cut funding for electrification. While we appreciate efforts to sustain funding for transit and rail, overall the bill would continue the federal government’s prioritization of highway spending, increasing car dependence at the expense of cleaner, safer, and more affordable alternatives. In light of the Trump Administration’s relentless attacks on clean transportation, we need to meet the moment as millions of Americans look for better options,” said Garrett Gee, a senior attorney leading SELC’s transportation electrification work across the region.