As the House considers H.R. 3684, the INVEST in America Act, NTU urges all Representatives to support initiatives that reduce wasteful spending, increase accountability and transparency, and uphold free market principles. As a reminder, NTU is opposed to the underlying bill.
To that end, NTU urges a “NO” vote on the following amendments:
Amd. 4, (filed as #41) Reps. Beyer (D-VA) and Gallego (D-AZ): This amendment would insert the “Wildlife Corridors Conservation Act” into the underlying legislation. While well-intentioned to help protect wildlife, this amendment would authorize over $50 million in new, unoffset annual spending over the next five fiscal years. Given the size of the growing national debt, new priorities, especially ones of significant cost, should be offset with reductions elsewhere in the budget.
Amd. 19, (filed as #38) Rep. Cicilline (D-RI): This amendment would authorize $39 million annually for the National Scenic Byways Program through fiscal years 2023-2026. This increased spending is not offset by commensurate spending reductions elsewhere.
Amd. 23, (filed as #235) Rep. Dingell (D-MI): This amendment would establish quasi-Green New Deal style programs across the country through a centralized “Clean Energy and Sustainability Accelerator.” Specifically, this proposal would use the power and resources of the federal government to deploy clean energy technologies, establish “green banks” nationwide, and invest in “climate-impacted communities.” Worse yet, this amendment authorizes $100 billion to accomplish these goals ($50 billion when the Accelerator is established, followed by $10 billion per year for the next five fiscal years). This amendment will be significantly-weighted in our annual scorecard.
Amd. 39, (filed as #134) Rep. Garcia (D-TX): This amendment would authorize $200 million for a new competitive grant program for certain higher education institutions that offer maritime industry training. This increased spending is not offset by commensurate spending reductions elsewhere.
Amd. 42, (filed as #181) Reps. Gomez (D-CA) and Morelle (D-NY): This amendment would authorize $60 million over a period of four years for a new grant program to connect urban communities and rural communities to green spaces. This increased spending is not offset by commensurate spending reductions elsewhere.
Amd. 52, (filed as #193) Reps. Kilmer (D-WA), McMorris Rodgers (R-WA), et al: This amendment would authorize $4 billion over a five year period, or $800 million annually, for a new grant program for culvert restoration projects to support anadromous fish passage and recovery. This increased spending is not offset by commensurate spending reductions elsewhere.
Amd. 67, (filed as #15) Reps. Moulton (D-MA), Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), et al: This amendment would authorize increased spending on the Passenger Rail Improvement, Modernization, and Expansion program by $1 billion annually for five consecutive fiscal years. This increased spending of $5 billion is not offset by commensurate spending reductions elsewhere.
Amd. 86, (filed as #14) Reps. Rice (D-NY) and Balderson (R-OH): This amendment would authorize a new competitive grant program on the dangers of drug-impaired driving. While it may be an important study, this amendment authorizes $30 million over two fiscal years that is not offset elsewhere in the budget.
Amd. 89, (filed as #166) Reps. Rush (D-IL), Dingell (D-MI), et al: This amendment would authorize $100 million annually over a period of five years to promote the domestic manufacture and use of advanced, fuel efficient vehicles and zero-emission vehicles. This increased spending is not offset by commensurate spending reductions elsewhere.
Amd. 102, (filed as #103) Rep. Torres (D-CA): This amendment would increase the authorization amount for the Transportation Equity Research Program from $2 million to $8 million annually over a period of four fiscal years. As a result, this would increase spending by $24 million without reducing spending elsewhere in the underlying bill.
Amd. 102, (filed as #103) Rep. Torres (D-CA): This amendment would permanently authorize spending for a Historic Preservation Fund, with appropriations totalling $300 million annually.
Amd. 141, (filed as #4) Reps. Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), Bowman (D-NY): This amendment would increase spending to replace certain piping in schools from $50 million to $100 million annually for a period of ten years. This additional $500 million is not offset with reductions elsewhere in the underlying bill.
Amd. 143, (filed as #23) Reps. Pappas (D-NH), Fitzpatrick (R-PA), et al: This amendment would authorize $200 million annually for a period of five years to publicly owned treatment works to implement effluent limitations guidelines and standards. This $1 billion is not offset with reductions elsewhere in the underlying legislation.
Amd. 145, (filed as #33) Rep. Sewell (D-AL): This amendment would increase the authorization amount for the creation of a new Household Wastewater Grant Program from $50 million to $100 million annually, for a period of five years. This additional $250 million is not offset with reductions elsewhere in the underlying legislation.
In addition, NTU urges all Representatives to vote “YES” on the following amendments:
Amd. 40, (filed as #247) Rep. Gibbs (R-OH): This amendment would prohibit using money intended for transit services from going towards art, landscaping, or other non-functional items unrelated to actual transportation spending. This provision simply restores a bipartisan ban that has been in place for years. Given the state of American infrastructure, as well as America’s fiscal condition, it makes little sense to support funding that does not improve transit services.
Amd. 43, (filed as #104) Rep. Graves (R-LA): This amendment would require the Federal Highway Administration to issue new guidance and best practices on the resilience of materials. This would help projects last longer under the stresses of climate change and other severe weather events, which can cost significant sums of money to rebuild.
Amd. 45, (filed as #225) Rep. Jackson (R-TX): This amendment would eliminate wasteful Amtrak funding. For fifty years, taxpayers have subsidized this troubled rail company to the tune of billions of dollars a year, and billions more during the COVID-19 pandemic. It’s time to cut the cord and end the handouts for a service many taxpayers will never use. Instead, Amtrak should continue to make the necessary internal reforms and changes to the user-model to create self-sufficient profitability.
Amd. 62, (filed as #202) Reps. Mace (R-SC) and Graves (R-LA): This amendment would require the GAO to conduct a study on the outlays of the Highway Trust Fund. Expenses from the HTF have risen dramatically over the last several years and are projected to lose over $150 billion over the next several years. Without reforms, it will fall on all taxpayers to cover the shortfall through general fund transfers.
Amd. 77, (filed as #46) Rep. Perry (R-PA): This amendment would strike a provision of the underlying bill that provides federal funding for electric vehicle (EV) charging and hydrogen fueling infrastructure. The federal government should not be in the business of putting its thumb on the scale of America’s energy markets. The private sector, not government, should promote EVs and EV infrastructure.
Amd. 79, (filed as #151) Rep. Perry (R-PA): This amendment would strike funding for the Capital Investment Grant Program from the underlying bill. This would cut over $21 billion in spending from H.R. 3684 over the next several years.
Amd. 98, (filed as #261) Rep. Tiffany (R-WI): This amendment would prohibit any funds from the Highway Trust Fund from being used for anything other than road and bridge construction. For years, the HTF has been raided for other non-surface transportation items, leading to significant shortfalls yearly.
Amd. 134, (filed as #38) Rep. McKinley (R-WV): This amendment would strike provisions removing the completion of a cost-benefit analysis on certain regulations.