[Congressional Record Volume 172, Number 87 (Thursday, May 21, 2026)]
[House]
[Pages H3680-H3681]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                 SURFACE TRANSPORTATION REAUTHORIZATION

  (Mr. Mann of Kansas was recognized to address the House for 5 
minutes.)
  Mr. MANN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to discuss the importance of the 
BUILD America 250 Act, the surface transportation reauthorization that 
the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee is marking up 
today during National Infrastructure Week.
  This marks 70 years since President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed the 
Federal-Aid Highway Act of 1956 into law. For Kansans, that anniversary 
carries special meaning. President Eisenhower understood that a strong 
transportation network was essential to the safety, commerce, and unity 
of the United States. His vision helped connect a growing country and 
gave future generations a highway system that changed the way Americans 
live, work, and move.
  Seventy years later, America's transportation needs have changed, but 
Congress' basic responsibility remains the same. We have a duty to 
maintain a surface transportation system that allows people and goods 
to move across this country safely, efficiently, and reliably.
  The entire House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee has been 
hard at work for over a year to ensure the BUILD America 250 Act 
delivers for American travelers. This is one of the few major bills 
that we take up on a regular schedule, and it has historically been 
bipartisan because every district in America relies on roads, bridges, 
rail, airports, and freight movement. That is especially true in rural 
America.
  In the Big First, our district alone has more than 83,000 miles of 
roads, 4,000 miles of railroads, and more than 100 airports. That 
infrastructure supports the farmers, ranchers, producers, 
manufacturers, small businesses, schools, hospitals, and families that 
keep our communities strong. We also have 11,172 bridges, more than any 
other congressional district in the country. That is why I am 
especially proud that our legislation provides the largest investment 
in our Nation's bridges in American history.
  When a highway is unsafe, a rural bridge is closed, or a freight 
route is inefficient, the consequences are real. A farmer may have to 
take a longer route to get grain to market. A rancher may face higher 
costs of moving livestock. A manufacturer may struggle to ship products 
on time. A first responder may lose valuable minutes reaching someone 
in need.
  Transportation policy in Washington has a direct effect on the daily 
lives of Kansans. That is why this reauthorization must get back to the 
basics.
  In recent years, Washington has created new programs, expanded 
existing ones, and spent money our country does not have. This surface 
transportation bill, on the other hand, focuses our limited Federal 
resources on the fundamental needs of our transportation system: roads, 
bridges, freight movement, safety, and the infrastructure that helps 
Americans get where they need to go.
  One of my top priorities is maintaining and expanding flexibility in 
Federal highway programs. States are best positioned to understand 
their own transportation needs. Kansans should not be forced into the 
same mold as New York or California. A rural road that carries wheat, 
cattle, schoolbuses, and animals serves a very different purpose than a 
major urban corridor. Federal policy should respect those differences.
  The BUILD America 250 Act provides States and local communities with 
the flexibility to direct resources where they need it most. It also 
helps ensure taxpayer dollars are used effectively instead of being 
tied up in Washington-driven mandates that do not fit local realities.
  Finally, we are addressing the long-term solvency of the highway 
trust fund. The trust fund was created to provide a dedicated revenue 
source for the construction of the interstate highway system. It was 
built on a user-pays principle, with Federal fuel taxes serving as the 
main funding source.

[[Page H3681]]

  That principle is still the right one, but the current model is no 
longer sustainable. American vehicles have become more fuel efficient, 
and some Americans even drive electric vehicles. That is why our 
legislation updates the highway trust fund, ensuring owners of electric 
vehicles still contribute to the maintenance of the roads they also 
rely on.
  We are preserving the conservative idea that those who use the system 
help pay for it, while modernizing the way we keep our trust fund 
solvent and focus on our core mission.
  Mr. Speaker, America is a nation that builds. That spirit helped 
President Eisenhower, a proud Kansan, leave a transportation legacy 
that still serves our country today.
  The House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee is honoring 
that legacy by focusing on the basics, respecting States, spending 
taxpayer dollars wisely, and strengthening the roads, bridges, and 
freight networks that keep America moving. I urge my committee 
colleagues to support the BUILD America 250 Act going forward.

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