Jim Burnley was quoted in Supply Chain Management Review on February 16, 2018, about President Trump's proposed gas tax plan and whether Congress will take up legislation and vote on the increase.
"It is exceedingly unlikely you would see an increase in an election year, but in 2019, depending on the outcome of the 2018 mid-term elections, the composition of Congress could make a difference," Burnley said in a recent interview.
"I don't know how it will make a difference, but it will be relevant. But in 2019, as we have to start thinking about reauthorizing surface transportation programs, the fact that the Highway Trust Fund has collapsed as a practical matter and is not anywhere close to generating enough revenue through fuel and other taxes by law to cover current spending. We have had more than $140 billion in funds transferred from general treasury accounts into the Highway Trust Fund in the last decade just to prop it up so never mind increasing spending on surface transportation. That is something that needs to be dealt with. I don’t think Congress is likely to simply kick that can down the road much further, but that is a 2019-2020 debate."