Supply chains keep our economy moving. In fact, surface transportation, including trucking and rail, move 73% of all goods in the United States. Ensuring our roads, railroads, and bridges are in strong condition is key to making sure products make it to the last mile of their delivery. Despite the importance of surface transportation, America is short 60,000 truck drivers, and demand for goods only increases.
As a member of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, I’m working on ways to ensure deliveries reach their final destination in an efficient manner. One way we can improve efficiency is by increasing the amount of weight a truck can transport. It has been 44 years since Congress last updated its gross vehicle weight limits — a lot of things have changed since 1982.
By increasing the limit from 80,000 pounds to 91,000 pounds across six axles instead of five, damage to roads will decrease, and so will the truck’s braking distance. Since studies show we can do it safely, we should give it a test drive. We’ll get more goods delivered on time, reduce damage on roads, make our highways safer, and drive growth in our economy.
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Another way we can improve efficiency in our transportation system is by ensuring that federal funds end up in the right places for the right purposes. That’s why I introduced the “No Department of Transportation Funds for Sanctuary Cities Act” to prohibit federal funds from going to cities that don’t comply with federal law enforcement. In recent years, we’ve seen protesters and rioters destroying transportation infrastructure in sanctuary cities such as Los Angeles.
Sanctuary cities use federal dollars to maintain their infrastructure, which they allow anti-Immigration and Customs Enforcement protesters to damage, then use more federal dollars on the repairs. If sanctuary cities want help maintaining their roads and bridges, they need to play by the rules and work with federal law enforcement. It’s Congress’s role to ensure federal funds are being used in an appropriate, productive manner.
To make our transportation dollars go further, Congress should allow states to prioritize projects they need the most. Many states, including my own, had millions of dollars left over from former President Joe Biden’s infrastructure funding that heavily prioritized electric vehicles. America lacks the infrastructure for charging and implementing a full switch to EVs, especially in South Dakota, where driving distances are long and temperatures are often too cold. Unfortunately, the infrastructure funds from the Biden administration can only be used for EV projects. I introduced legislation to allow states to decide how to use these dollars to meet their needs. States and localities know what projects are the most critical, not unelected bureaucrats in Washington, D.C.
But investments in America’s infrastructure aren’t as meaningful if we do not protect these assets from foreign adversaries. I’ve led the charge to ban the Department of Transportation from using LiDAR from foreign adversaries. Light Detection and Ranging technology creates 3D maps with millimeter-level data of surrounding environments.
LiDAR is widely employed in our nation’s transit infrastructure, including in airports, railways, autonomous vehicles, ports, and traffic control systems. Allowing our adversaries, such as China, to have access to these maps of critical infrastructure could allow them to disrupt our supply chains and cause a national security crisis. My bill ensures our nation’s critical infrastructure is protected from the malign interests of the Chinese Communist Party.
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Here’s the bottom line: American infrastructure is lagging behind our competitors, especially China. Our roads are filled with potholes, bridges need to be rebuilt, and our supply chain could use a boost.
It’s time to set aside political and climate agendas and let the free market work. Increasing shipping capacity, protecting federal dollars, and revitalizing our highways must be a priority to maintain an edge on the global stage.
Rep. Dusty Johnson is a Republican from South Dakota.
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