Senior U.S. lawmakers urge immediate action to revamp crumbling infrastructure

Several senior U.S. lawmakers on Wednesday called for immediate action to upgrade the country's crumbling infrastructure.

"We need real, sustainable federal investment to shore up our nation's infrastructure and we need it now. There is no sugar-coating the situation," said Peter DeFazio, chairman of the House Transportation and infrastructure Committee, at a congressional hearing.

At the hearing held by the House Ways and Means Committee, DeFazio and several other speakers voiced support for a gas tax hike in order to fix the Highway Trust Fund, a major source of capital investments in highway and bridge improvements.

Noting that the gasoline and diesel taxes have been unadjusted for more than 25 years, DeFazio, a Democrat, said the taxes have lost over 40 percent of their purchasing power. Raising the existing user fees is the "most efficient way" to put the Highway Trust Fund on a long-term path to solvency, he said.

Sam Graves, ranking member of the House Transportation and infrastructure Committee, also highlighted the desperate need to find a long-term solution for the shortfalls of the Highway Trust Fund, estimated at 16 billion U.S. dollars annually in the coming years.

Graves, however, argued that the gas tax is not a long-term solution, "as the car, bus and truck fleet become more fuel efficient, and hybrids and electric vehicles become more popular."

Also testifying at the hearing, Graves, a Republican, suggested a Vehicle Miles Traveled (VMT) fee, and said a per-mile fee has the potential to be "a true user funded program that captures everyone."

A few other lawmakers also shared their thoughts on how to pay for the country's infrastructure upgrade, and discussions include whether they should look for new revenue sources, instead of sticking to the "user pays" principle.

The U.S. Transportation Department had said in 2017 that more investment is needed not only to maintain the nation's highway and transit systems but to overcome a "nearly trillion-dollar investment backlog."