Sam Graves, Chairman of the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, has emphasized that federal transportation investments should prioritize efficiency and safety over partisan mandates. This statement was made in an op-ed.
"Every June, we celebrate the anniversary of President Eisenhower signing the Federal-Aid Highway Act of 1956," said Graves. "Our limited federal resources should always be focused on moving people and goods safely and efficiently. Unfortunately, at the hands of the Biden Administration, efforts to address infrastructure needs were diluted in favor of progressive political wants and initiatives. There are no Democratic roads or Republican bridges, and our surface transportation system needs to be safe, efficient, and absent of burdensome requirements."
In 2025, Congress and the Biden Administration are actively debating priorities for the next surface transportation reauthorization. Proposals focus on modernizing the federal funding model, tightening environmental or permitting reviews, and granting states greater flexibility in spending formula funds. Some stakeholders argue that the traditional gas tax-based revenue system is insufficient due to electrification and increased fuel efficiency. Others emphasize accelerating project delivery, reducing red tape, and embedding resilience and safety as core criteria. This policy momentum is widely discussed in sources such as Eno’s "Big Ideas for Surface Transportation Reauthorization."
According to the Federal Highway Administration's (FHWA) National Highway Construction Cost Index (NHCCI), highway construction costs have grown at an annual rate well above general inflation in recent years. This increase is driven by rising material, labor, and supply chain pressures. The NHCCI website provides quarterly data illustrating that in many recent quarters construction cost growth exceeded overall inflation, eroding purchasing power for highway projects.
Analysis of regulatory and administrative causes shows they materially contribute to delays and cost overruns. A Republican House policy document notes that project delays tied to regulatory review "conservatively" add roughly 5% in direct construction costs. Additionally, a Texas Transportation Institute summary quantifies that permitting, right-of-way acquisition, utility relocation, and design changes account for a large share of total delay days. These trends underscore how procedural burdens can inflate time and cost beyond baseline estimates.
Graves has been a Republican member of the U.S. House representing Missouri’s 6th District since 2001. He has focused heavily on transportation and infrastructure policy throughout his tenure and became Chair of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure in the 118th Congress. His congressional biography highlights prior roles on the Highways & Transit Subcommittee and his leadership in aviation policy as co-chair of the House General Aviation Caucus. He has publicly advocated for "back to basics" priorities in reauthorization — emphasizing core maintenance, reduced mandates, and state flexibility.
The House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure is a standing committee with jurisdiction over a broad set of infrastructure policy domains including highways, transit, aviation, rail, maritime, pipelines, water resources, public buildings, and disaster resilience. It drafts key authorization bills such as surface transportation reauthorizations, oversees the Department of Transportation, and is organized into subcommittees like Highways & Transit; Railroads; Aviation; Water Resources. The Committee’s membership is large to reflect its wide policy purview and its role in shaping the federal infrastructure agenda.
