The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) is calling for a total operating budget of $54.3 billion dollars for fiscal year 2004, an increase of 6 percent over FY2003 figures. Even with that boost in funding, the proposed budget will leave important areas underfunded, warned House Transportation Committee Chairman Rep. Don Young (R-Alaska).

The proposed budget includes $29.3 billion for the Highway Trust Fund, and an additional $600 million from gasohol taxes that would be applied directly to the trust fund. The Federal Aviation Administration will pick up $14 billion, including money for increased staffing, infrastructure improvements, and investments in air traffic control. The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration is in line for $447 million earmarked for strengthening truck and bus safety standards and for a safety-inspection program for trucks entering the United States from Mexico. And the Federal Railroad Administration is slated to receive $189 million for programs aimed at reducing the number of rail-related accidents and improving safety in hazardous materials transportation.

Despite the overall budget increase, Young contends that the nation is short-changing its transportation infrastructure needs. In a statement marking the proposed budget's release last month, he noted that the $29.3 billion allotted for the Highway Trust Fund is $2.5 billion less than the level of funding that was enacted in FY2002, and that the Federal Transit Administration budget is "flat-lined at zero growth."

"The DOT reported in its 2002 Conditions and Performances Report that the needs of the nation's highway and transit infrastructure are greater than twice the number in the president's budget," he said. "The proof that we are not meeting these needs is found in our daily commute. Our roads, bridges, and transit facilities are old and deteriorating."

Young further noted that although the Transportation Equity Act for the 21^st Century (TEA-21) increased highway and transit funding when it was introduced in 1998, the resources needed just to maintain that infrastructure have always outweighed available funds. "The funding needed to improve the infrastructure is even greater," he added.