In a letter to the US Congress, American Trucking Associations (ATA) and a coalition of 37 other organizations warned about the dangers of devolving the federal highway program and urged passage of a robust, long-term highway bill that secures the federal role in transportation.
“As the nation’s primary movers of interstate commerce, a uniform transportation system is of paramount importance,” said Bill Graves, ATA president and chief executive officer. “Congress should reject dangerous calls to abdicate its constitutional responsibility to manage and fund the federal highway program and pass a strong, long-term highway bill this spring.”
In the letter, ATA and its allies told Congress they “strongly oppose “devolution” proposals such as the Transportation Empowerment Act, previously introduced and considered in the 113th Congress. TEA is an ill-conceived proposal that would strip away most federal funding for surface transportation projects, essentially eliminating the federal government’s constitutionally mandated role in promoting interstate commerce.”