The Highway Trust Fund (HTF) was set up in 1956 to build and maintain a nationwide transportation network. The HTF was traditionally a self-supporting bank account, collecting revenue from excise taxes on motor fuel. Unfortunately, gas and diesel taxes, which are set at 18.4 cents and 24.4 cents per gallon respectively, haven’t been raised since 1993. As a result, the Highway Trust Fund is hovering near insolvency, and our bridges, roads, and transit systems are paying the price.

Fortunately, there’s a way to fix the Highway Trust Fund. We need to increase the federal gas tax by 5 cents per year for 5 years along with authorizing the next surface transportation bill – the successor to the FAST Act.