Issues for Debate
Highway and Transit Program Reauthorization
The Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century (TEA-21) provided for a dramatic increase in funding for Federal surface transportation programs. This was in large part the result of a successful effort to link the revenue stream for the Highway Trust Fund to significant increases in spending for the highway, highway safety, and transit programs. The total TEA-21 authorization was about 40 percent more than the amount that had been authorized in the previous six-year program authorization. Further, a mechanism created by TEA-21, Revenue-Aligned Budget Authority (RABA), has provided the program with an additional $9.1 billion over TEA-21’s six-year life….
