Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.), who was elected House GOP leader following the unexpected loss of Rep. Eric Cantor’s (R-Va.) seat, said he wouldn’t support increasing the federal tax as a legislative solution for shoring up a federal highway account that funds highway programs at the state level.
That’s a Democrat idea, continue to raise taxes on the families going forward, McCarthy said during a Fox News interview. I believe one of the options that we put forward two years ago was an idea for a new funding source. Open up federal lands for exploration, federal government, put that into resources to help build the bridges and roads that we need.
With the Highway Trust Fund projected to run out of money as early as late July, transportation leaders have been scrambling to approve a legislative fix to keep the fund solvent into the new year. McCarthy shot down the gas-tax increase idea just days after two senators called for raising the gas tax to boost the Highway Trust Fund, a position endorsed by the trucking industry.
Transportation experts have indicated the trust fund would need more than $10 billion to remain solvent for several months.
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