Rep. Valerie Foushee Votes to Advance Surface Transportation Reauthorization Package out of Committee

WASHINGTON, DC (May 22, 2026) - Yesterday, Congresswoman Valerie Foushee (NC-04) voted to advance the BUILD America 250 Act, a bipartisan, five-year surface transportation reauthorization package, out of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee. The bill passed the committee by a 62-2 vote.

"Though I continue to have deep concerns about the baseless attacks on clean transit and electric vehicles included in this surface transportation reauthorization package, the importance of properly funding our nation's infrastructure has never been more critical while the Trump Administration continues to prioritize their extremist agenda over actually delivering results for the American people," said Congresswoman Valerie Foushee (NC-04). "These victories are not insignificant and are why I voted in favor of this legislation, but the work continues. Democrats will have more opportunities to address our climate and clean energy priorities when this bill comes to the House floor and then moves to the Senate after that, and I look forward to engaging with my colleagues in both chambers on how to do just that."

The Surface Transportation Reauthorization funds federal programs which help maintain and upgrade roads, public transit, rail infrastructure, and more. Reauthorization typically occurs every five years, with the last reauthorization being included in the Infrastructure Investment & Jobs Act (IIJA).

Specifically, the BUILD America 250 Act would:

• Provide $87.5 billion in guaranteed transit funding, comparable to the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL).

• Provide $45 billion in guaranteed bridge funding, a $5 billion increase from the BIL.

• Streamline permitting reviews for environmentally friendly projects, like active transportation and transit.

• Require states to invest $1 billion in alternative fuel infrastructure including EV charging under the Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality Program.

• Provide $64 billion in authorized funding for Amtrak and competitive rail grant programs.

• Provide $8.3 billion for bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure through the Transportation Alternatives Program.

• Maintain $500 million in annual funding for PROTECT grants to make surface transportation more resilient to the changing climate.

During the Committee Markup of the Build America 250 Act, Congresswoman Foushee presented the following amendments-all of which were rejected by the Republican majority:

• An amendment inserting language from the IMPACT Act 2.0 in order to incentivize the manufacturing and deployment of low-carbon building materials in federal infrastructure projects.

• An amendment guaranteeing $1 million annually in Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvements (CRISI) funding to all 50 states and Washington D.C, providing them with a federal funding baseline for projects benefitting both passenger and freight rail.

• An amendment to reinstate and fully fund the Charging and Fueling Infrastructure (CFI) program.

• An amendment to reinstate and fully fund the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure program, which was entirely stripped from the bill.

• An amendment to provide an EV fee exemption for seniors on fixed incomes.

• An amendment to strip the punitive EV fees entirely from the bill.

• An amendment to insert the Stronger Communities through Better Transit Act into the bill, which would have provided guaranteed funding for transit funding operations.