The House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee advanced its sweeping five-year transportation reauthorization bill early Friday morning after adding on a White House-backed rail safety provision — a twist that could complicate the bill’s support on the floor.
The vote to approve the measure was 62-2, overwhelmingly giving panel Chairman Sam Graves, R-Mo., and ranking member Rick Larsen, D-Wash., the bipartisan package they had intended. The committee considered roughly 160 amendments during a markup that lasted more than 15 hours. Reps. Scott Perry, R-Pa., and Jerrold Nadler, D-N.Y., voted against the bill.
The bill would authorize roughly $580 billion for highway and rail programs through fiscal 2031 and would supplement Highway Trust Fund cash with a new annual registration fee for owners of electric vehicles and plug-in hybrids.
“I think this is the most important surface transportation bill since President Eisenhower built the interstate system,” Graves said during the markup. “Whether you’re a Republican or a Democrat, this bill delivers for your district and your constituents.”
The measure, which the committee has dubbed the BUILD America 250 Act, is the latest iteration of the Biden-era 2021 infrastructure law, which is set to run out of funding in fiscal 2027.
