Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy outlined the Trump administration’s priorities for the next surface transportation reauthorization during his first appearance before the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee on April 2 , launching formal negotiations over legislation that will determine how America spends hundreds of billions of dollars on roads, bridges and transit systems over the next five years.
In both his written and oral testimony, Duffy stressed that “making travel by sea, rail, and road more efficient and more affordable while raising safety standards [and] cutting unnecessary red tape” should be the primary focal areas of surface transportation reauthorization from the Trump administration’s perspective.
“Building big, beautiful infrastructure that Americans are paying for with their hard-earned dollars – that’s a top priority,” Duffy testified. “Let’s do it efficiently. Let’s cut the red tape. We can still protect the environment, but let’s move these projects faster. Lawmakers on all sides of the aisle can agree that infrastructure projects are taking way too long to complete.”
The hearing marked the beginning of what promises to be intense negotiations over legislation to replace the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, which allocated $1.2 trillion to essential transportation and infrastructure programs and projects, and is set to expire on September 30, 2026.
In the current law, Congress authorized a total of $365 billion for highway programs alone: $304 billion in contract authority from the Highway Trust Fund, $47 billion in multiyear advance appropriations from the Treasury General Fund, and $15 billion in budget authority from the general fund subject to future appropriations. In nominal dollars, average annual authorizations increased by approximately 62% from the previous surface transportation authorization act to the IIJA.
Senator Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.), Chairman of the Senate Environment and Public Works (EPW) Committee, led the hearing beginning the development of the Surface Transportation Reauthorization Bill with Duffy. In her opening remarks, Chairman Capito detailed her vision for the Surface Transportation Reauthorization Bill, and welcomed input and collaboration from the Trump administration and Secretary Duffy as the reauthorization effort begins. This hearing serves as the first of a two-part series of hearings on the Surface Transportation Reauthorization Bill.
Committee Chair Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.) called for increased funding for highway formula programs in the next surface transportation law, while Ranking Member Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) called for a “robust and bipartisan highway bill.”
Duffy faced questions about the Trump administration’s temporary pause on federal infrastructure grants, which created uncertainty among state transportation officials nationwide. “I want to assure you that disbursements for valid reimbursement requests under existing obligations continue as usual and were never paused,” he said at the hearing. “However, this administration inherited a backlog of over 3,200 awarded projects without signed grant agreements in place. We are expediting reviews to ensure alignment with this administration’s priorities so that we can fund projects that deliver the infrastructure America so desperately needs.”
The secretary said the administration is “realigning” notices of funding opportunity with what he described as “statutory intent” and removing “extraneous, ideologically driven” requirements. “NOFOs for important programs have been republished or are in the process of being reissued,” Duffy noted at the hearing – with the USDOT re-issuing a $982 million NOFO on April 1 for the agency’s Safe Streets and Roads for All grant program.
Both parties emphasized the bipartisan nature of infrastructure legislation. “Infrastructure is bipartisan. It’s one of the unique spaces in our government where we all work together because our roads and bridges, our airplanes, our airports, the safety of our cars — is a bipartisan American issue, not a red or blue issue,” Duffy told the committee. “My aim over the course of this hearing is to provide you a sense of the administration’s priorities as we work together on surface transportation reauthorization and embark on what I hope will be the Golden Age of Transportation.”
Duffy expressed support for permitting reform legislation that the EPW Committee is working on in a bipartisan manner. He noted they need to make sure they are “taking the full meaning” of One Federal Decision language included in the infrastructure law and will work to streamline the permitting process even further.
The current law represents a significant shift in transportation funding. The IIJA was the first surface transportation authorization act to include multiyear advance appropriations. Prior to the IIJA, Congress funded the federal highway programs mainly through contract authority from the Highway Trust Fund and authorized smaller amounts from the general fund, subject to future appropriations. For example, the FAST Act authorized approximately $45 billion from the Highway Trust Fund and $210 million from the general fund, subject to future appropriations.
However, funding challenges loom large. Congress may contend with the potential insolvency of the Highway Trust Fund, the main source of funding for the highway programs. The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) projects