H.R. 7 Ensures Scarce Taxpayer Dollars Are Focused on High-Priority Infrastructure Projects, Not Wasteful Pork

H.R. 7 Ensures Scarce Taxpayer Dollars Are Focused on High-Priority Infrastructure Projects, Not Wasteful Pork

H.R. 7 Ensures Scarce Taxpayer Dollars Are Focused on High-Priority Infrastructure Projects, Not Wasteful Pork

Congressman John Boehner
February 7, 2012

In the past, tens of billions of taxpayer dollars meant for improving highways were wasted by Congress on projects that had little positive impact on Americas economy. The American Energy & Infrastructure Jobs Act (H.R. 7) is a different kind of bill that expands energy production to create more than a million new jobs, address high gas prices, and help pay for improvements to our roads and bridges. This bill

ENSURES SCARCE TAXPAYER DOLLARS ARE FOCUSED ON HIGH-PRIORITY INFRASTRUCTURE PROJECTS, NOT WASTEFUL PORK, BY:

Reforming the Highway Trust Fund and directing 100 percent of its resources to national highways and bridges. This means resources meant for highway construction and repair will be used for highway construction and repair. Currently, only 75 percent of Highway Trust Fund expenditures go to core infrastructure projects that play a direct role in Americas economy;

Eliminating federal mandates that force states to spend highway money on non-highway activities. In the past, scarce dollars have been diverted to non-economic beautification, bike paths, and sidewalk lighting projects that are better funded with state or local resources;

Returning highway funding to the states and state officials who know where infrastructure resources are most needed. States previously only received about two-thirds of the gas tax dollars collected for highway improvements — under H.R. 7 they will receive 93 percent; and

Eliminating earmarks which were banned by House Republicans after being abused by both parties in recent decades. The 2005 highway bill was loaded with more than 6,300 earmarks that cost taxpayers more than $21 billion.

The American Energy & Infrastructure Jobs Act ensures taxpayer dollars are spent on our most critical infrastructure needs without adding to our national debt and without raising taxes on families and small businesses. Stay tuned for part three in our series on the pro-growth reforms in H.R. 7.