The BUILD America 250 Act: What Counties Need to Know about the House Surface Transportation Reauthorization Bill
This event is available on-demand. If you have any issues accessing the recording, please email nacomeetings@naco.org.
Last week, Chairman Sam Graves (R-Mo.) and Ranking Member Rick Larsen (D-Wash.) introduced the BUILD America 250 Act, a comprehensive bill that would reauthorize federal surface transportation programs. This bill includes several high-profile county priorities, including record investments in locally owned bridges. Join NACo staff to learn more about what's in the bill, what didn't make it and what comes next.
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Speaker
Ben Gilsdorf
Senate funding proposal would create transportation funding cliff for counties
On August 8, the Senate Appropriations Committee passed a proposal to extend government funding and many expiring program authorities until December 11, 2026. Notably, this bill would provide a short-term extension of many federal surface transportation programs authorized in the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) (P.L. 117-58). However, the bill would not extend the advance appropriations for many transportation programs made in Division J of the IIJA. This means that many programs would lose portions of their funding, while many other programs would have their funding lapse altogether.
NACo sends letter to Congressional leadership asking them to reauthorize or extend key programs
NACo sends letter to Congressional leadership asking them to prioritize reauthorizing or extending key programs for counties ahead of September deadline
IIJA authorities expire September 30 – NACo urges Congress to uphold full funding levels in highway program extension
With current surface transportation authorities set to expire on September 30, 2026, NACo is urging Congress to maintain full funding levels in any extension – and is calling on county leaders to reach out to their members of Congress now to make the case.
NACo joins letter calling on U.S. House to vote on surface transportation legislation
On June 15, NACo joined a letter calling on the U.S. House of Representatives to hold a floor vote on the Building Unrivaled Infrastructure and Long-term Development for America’s 250th (BUILD America 250) Act (H.R. 8870). The bill would reauthorize and reorganize federal highway and surface transportation programs for 5 years.
Telling the County Infrastructure Story
County budgets are being eroded by unrelenting cost inflation, federal permitting delays stalling projects and competition for labor and materials often directed to federally subsidized state projects. It's time to fix federal funding for infrastructure.