Formula Approach to Highway Funding Ensures Connectivity in Rural Areas
Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Cynthia Lummis (R-WY), a member of the Environment & Public Works and the Commerce, Science, & Transportation Committees, participated in hearings in both committees yesterday to discuss the future of transportation infrastructure funding in America.
During the Environment and Public Works Committee hearing on transportation equity, Senator Lummis discussed how changes to highway funding impact rural America. Rural states such as Wyoming depend on efficient and well-maintained highways to ensure connectivity between communities. Formula funding provides the certainty states need, while new grant programs only pit states against one another to compete for the funds. Senator Lummis emphasized that the majority of highway funds should continue to come from formula programs.
At the Commerce hearing on the future of freight, Senator Lummis highlighted the need for further investments in the transportation sector, specifically when it comes to trucking needs and freight congestion on our highways. Senator Lummis’ questions highlighted the dangers posed by a lack of dedicated truck parking and the need to improve the large bottlenecks that slow down efficient freight movement throughout the country.
Senator Lummis previously wrote an op-ed for The Hill newspaper where she advocated for the needs of rural Americans in any infrastructure package. “Within an overhaul, we must remember the needs of every American — and this includes the many small towns and rural communities in states like Wyoming,” Senator Lummis wrote. “While I know some of my colleagues represent urban areas that benefit from transit services, it is ultimately the roads and bridges across the country that weave our country together.”
To hear Senator Lummis’s questions in the Environment & Public Works Committee hearing, click here.
To hear Senator Lummis’s questions in the Commerce, Science & Technology Committee hearing, click here.
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