Letter to the Secretary, Western Association of State Highway Officials, on the Interstate Highway Program.

President Dwight D. Eisenhower
July 2, 1959

[ Released July 2, 1959. Dated June 30, 1959 ]

Dear Mr. Sherard:

I was very happy to receive your telegram of June twenty-fifth informing me of the action of the member states of the Western Association of State Highway Officials assembled in annual meeting last week.

As you know, this Administration sponsored the interstate road building program several years ago, and has since supported it on an urgent and pay-as-you-go basis. I am in full agreement with you on the desirability of continuing the program on schedule and without interruption. It was, of course, for this purpose that I proposed a 1 1/2 cent increase in the gas tax in my budget message submitted to the Congress on January 19, 1959.

To date my continuing efforts to receive favorable Congressional consideration of this proposal have been unavailing, and the deadline for the 1961 apportionments draws near. I would hope that the Western Association of State Highway Officials would join me in urging the Congress to support an appropriate proposal to bring new revenues into the Highway Trust Fund. Only in this way can we continue the pay-as-you-go principle which was embodied in the Highway Act of 1956 and keep the interstate program on schedule. I should add, however, that diversion of revenues from the general fund would not be an acceptable answer to this problem.

I am enclosing a copy of a statement which I made on this subject last week which may possibly be of interest to your members.

Sincerely,

DWIGHT D. EISENHOWER

Note: The statement referred to by the President in the closing paragraph of this letter to T. D. Sherard appears as Item 138, above.