DOT 138-08
Friday, September 19, 2008
Contact: Brian Turmail
Tel.: (202) 366-4570

Statement by U.S. Secretary of Transportation Mary E. Peters on the President Bush’s Action on the Highway Trust Fund


"Following the President’s signature of legislation to prevent a funding shortfall in the highway trust fund, $8.017 billion of general funds has now been transferred to the Highway Account of the Highway Trust Fund. Yesterday, we paid all current state payment requests, and today, we will resume daily payments. While the Highway Account has been temporarily replenished, we should not delude ourselves into thinking the fundamental problems of transportation funding are somehow resolved. It is imperative that the debate begin now as to the most effective means to finance and improve highways and transit infrastructure in the U.S. Clearly, the current model is both unsustainable and unresponsive to the country’s needs.