As lawmakers return this week from their summer break and start working on the next five-year transportation bill, they’re confronting the same problem as many U.S. families.
Inflation and President Donald Trump’s tariffs are eating into the government’s purchasing power. And Congress will have to decide whether to raise new sources of money or accept that federal spending on roads, bridges and transit systems won’t go as far as in previous years.
The last transportation plan, the bipartisan infrastructure law, boosted overall spending by $550 billion over five years, for a total of $1.2 trillion. The infrastructure law was widely praised as a much-needed boost to help refurbish the country’s roads, bridges and transit networks.
But rising costs could put pressure on lawmakers to impose fees on electric vehicles or raise gas taxes to maintain a similar level of spending.
