At issue is a December Department of Transportation memo that encouraged states to prioritize the highway funds for projects that 'improve the condition and safety of existing transportation infrastructure' before adding new highway lanes.
Senate Republicans clashed with the Biden administration Wednesday over the distribution of hundreds of billions of dollars in highway funding included in the bipartisan infrastructure bill, advising governors in a new letter effectively to ignore the administration’s guidance on how to allocate funding for highway projects and expansion.
In a letter sent to governors Wednesday, McConnell and Capito sought to dismiss the December memo as an “internal document” that “has no effect of law.” States, they added, “should treat it as such.” "These policies, such as discouraging projects that increase highway capacity and prioritizing projects that advance non-motorized transportation options, differ from the provisions negotiated and agreed to in the law."
But most of those provisions were dropped during negotiations as Democrats sought to push the bill through Congress and compromise with Republicans, who insisted the funds be given to the states without any preconditions or project-specific strings attached.But McConnell and Capito aren’t the only Republicans voicing their mounting concerns. Last month, 16 Republican governors signed a letter urging Biden to allow states to have flexibility in how they distribute the funds.
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