Mike Levin: “I am reluctant to enact a short-term extension of the highway funding bill without improving equity for donor States. At…”

“I am reluctant to enact a short-term extension of the highway funding bill without improving equity for donor States. At issue is the historic mistreatment of about 20 States, including Michigan, known as ``donor'' States, who, year after year, have sent more gas tax dollars to the Highway Trust Fund in Washington than were returned in transportation infrastructure spending. The remaining 30 States, known as ``donee'' States, have received more transportation funding than they paid into the Highway Trust Fund. This came about in 1956 when Senators from a number of small and large States banded together to develop a formula to distribute Federal highway dollars that advantaged their States at the expense of the remaining States. They formed a coalition of about 30 States that would benefit from the formula and, once that formula was in place, have tenaciously defended it. At the beginning there was some legitimacy to the large low- population predominately Western States getting more funds than they contributed to the system in order to build a national interstate highway system. Some arguments remain for providing additional funds to those States to maintain the national system and our bill will do that. However, there is no justification for any State getting more than its fair share.”