Highway Trust Fund Reauthorization Included in House Stopgap Funding

House Democrats released a short-term funding stopgap measure (H.R. 8319) on September 21 that includes an extension for surface transportation programs for one year. The current authorization for highway, transit, rail, and safety program funding is set to expire at the end of the month.

The extension would transfer $13.6 billion from the general fund to the Highway Trust Fund, the primary funding source for highways and transit, which is facing insolvency after fiscal 2020. It would generally extend programs and fiscal 2020 funding levels as set by the expiring five-year law, the Fixing America’s Surface Transportation (FAST) Act.

House Democrats are planning to vote on the stopgap appropriations measure as soon as this week, in order to avoid an October 1 government shutdown. While there is still disagreement over specific details in the continuing resolution to fund the government through December 11, there is bipartisan support for the one-year extension of funding for surface transportation.