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Rep. Crawford Discusses Infrastructure and Inflation with Road and Transportation Builders
7/14/2022
Washington — Today, Representative Rick Crawford (AR-01) participated on a panel with industry officials regarding public-private partnerships in infrastructure. The event was hosted by American Road & Transportation Builders Association (ARTBA).
Challenges regarding the cost of infrastructure projects as inflation has soared to a 41-year-high were at the center of the discussion. One attendee noted that project bids submitted just a few months ago are already underpriced as input costs keep rising.
“The federal government doesn’t build roads, it gives funding to help build roads,” said Rep. Crawford. “The efficiency with which that money is delivered needs to be significantly improved. Your costs are rising every week and month that the U.S. Department of Transportation delays in getting that capital to you.”
Another member of the ARTBA brought up President Biden’s proposed gas tax holiday, which is a concern for the highway industry.
“A gas tax holiday would hurt one of the main revenue streams we have for infrastructure investment,” Crawford noted, “compounding the challenges the current gas tax structure increasingly will pose in the years ahead.”
Crawford also addressed the difficult terrain facing the transportation industry as the costs of fuel, labor, and supplies continue to rise.
“For the first time in a generation, our nation faces significant inflation. The House Transportation and Infrastructure committee must, and will, respond to this crisis in ways that will allow us to continue to invest in critical infrastructure. This, in turn, will help grow our economy and relax the added inflationary pressures caused by supply chain bottlenecks.”