May 11, 2020 The Honorable Nancy Pelosi The Honorable Kevin McCarthy Speaker Minority Leader U.S. House of Representatives U.S. House of Representatives Washington, D.C. 20515 Washington, D.C. 20515 Dear Speaker Pelosi and Leader McCarthy, We are writing in support of the calls for a $49.95 billion infusion of federal funding to state departments of Transportation (DOTs) in the next COVID-19 response legislation. Our transportation system is essential to America’s economic recovery, but it is facing an immediate need as the COVID-19 pandemic significantly impacts states’ transportation revenues. With negotiations for the next COVID-19 relief package underway, we write to convey our strong support that future legislation includes a provision to address the needs of highway and bridge projects. With millions of Americans following “stay-at-home” orders, many state governments are facing losses in revenues across the board. These State DOTs are not exempt from these losses but operate with unique funding circumstances by having their own revenue shortfalls. Projections are showing decreases in state motor fuel tax and toll receipts as vehicle traffic declines by 50 percent in most parts of the country due to work and travel restrictions. An estimated 30 percent average decline in state DOTs’ revenue is forecasted over the next 18 months. Some state DOTs could experience losses as high as 45 percent. Due to these grim realities, some states are unable to make contract commitments for basic operations such as salt and sand purchases for winter operations. Both short-term and long-term transportation projects that were previously set to move forward are being delayed, putting construction jobs at risk. Providing state DOTs with an immediate relief with immediate infusion of $49.95 billion in federal funding separate from any additional State and Local relief, is not unlike action taken in prior COVID-19 response bills, which provided federal funding for other transportation modes facing reductions in revenue due to decreased travel. Supporting state DOTs now will enable the advancement of planned transportation projects in the near-term and allow state DOT employees and transportation construction workers essential to planning and delivering these projects to remain on the job. Thank you for your consideration of this request, and leadership in crafting legislation to combat COVID-19. Sincerely, _______________________ _______________________ Bob Gibbs Conor Lamb Member of Congress Member of Congress _______________________ _______________________ Robert B. Aderholt Cindy Axne Member of Congress Member of Congress _______________________ _______________________ Brian Babin, D.D.S. Don Bacon Member of Congress Member of Congress _______________________ _______________________ Troy Balderson Nanette Diaz Barragán Member of Congress Member of Congress _______________________ _______________________ Joyce Beatty Jaime Herrera Beutler Member of Congress Member of Congress _______________________ _______________________ Mike Bost Sanford D. Bishop, Jr. Member of Congress Member of Congress _______________________ _______________________ Earl Blumenauer Suzanne Bonamici Member of Congress Member of Congress _______________________ _______________________ Brendan F. Boyle Susan W. Brooks Member of Congress Member of Congress _______________________ _______________________ Anthony G. Brown Julia Brownley Member of Congress Member of Congress _______________________ _______________________ Cheri Bustos G. K. Butterfield Member of Congress Member of Congress _______________________ _______________________ Bradely Byrne Salud Carbajal Member of Congress Member of Congress _______________________ _______________________ Tony Cárdenas Earl L. “Buddy” Carter Member of Congress Member of Congress _______________________ _______________________ Matt Cartwright Ed Case Member of Congress Member of Congress _______________________ _______________________ David N. Cicilline Emanuel Cleaver, II Member of Congress Member of Congress _______________________ _______________________ Tom Cole Paul Cook Member of Congress Member of Congress _______________________ _______________________ Jim Cooper Joe Courtney Member of Congress Member of Congress _______________________ _______________________ Angie Craig Rick Crawford Member of Congress Member of Congress _______________________ _______________________ Jason Crow Sharice L. Davids Member of Congress Member of Congress _______________________ _______________________ Diana DeGette Suzan K. DelBene Member of Congress Member of Congress _______________________ _______________________ Mike Doyle Val Demmings Member of Congress Member of Congress _______________________ _______________________ Rosa L. DeLauro Debbie Dingell Member of Congress Member of Congress _______________________ _______________________ Dwight Evans Abby Finkenauer Member of Congress Member of Congress _______________________ _____________________ Brian Fitzpatrick Lizzie Fletcher Member of Congress Member of Congress _______________________ _______________________ Bill Foster Lois Frankel Member of Congress Member of Congress _______________________ _______________________ Jesús G. “Chuy” García Josh Gottheimer Member of Congress Member of Congress _______________________ _______________________ Denny Heck Jim Himes Member of Congress Member of Congress _______________________ _______________________ Anthony Gonzalez Vicente Gonzalez Member of Congress Member of Congress _______________________ _______________________ Paul A. Gosar, D.D.S. Tom Graves Member of Congress Member of Congress _______________________ _______________________ Al Green Jahana Hayes Member of Congress Member of Congress _______________________ _______________________ Denny Heck Jim Himes Member of Congress Member of Congress _______________________ _______________________ Brian Higgins Chrissy Houlahan Member of Congress Member of Congress _______________________ _______________________ Jared Huffman Bill Johnson Member of Congress Member of Congress _______________________ _______________________ Dusty Johnson Eddie Bernice Johnson Member of Congress Member of Congress _________________________ ________________________ David P. Joyce John Katko Member of Congress Member of Congress _______________________ _______________________ Robin L. Kelly Joseph P. Kennedy, III Member of Congress Member of Congress _______________________ _______________________ Ron Kind Peter T. King Member of Congress Member of Congress _______________________ _______________________ Ann Kirkpatrick Derek Kilmer Member of Congress Member of Congress _______________________ _______________________ Raja Krishnamoorthi Lucy McBath Member of Congress Member of Congress _______________________ _______________________ Ann McLane Kuster Rick Larsen Member of Congress Member of Congress _______________________ _______________________ John B. Larson Brenda L. Lawrence Member of Congress Member of Congress _______________________ _______________________ Sheila Jackson Lee Barbara Lee Member of Congress Member of Congress _______________________ _______________________ Dave Loebsack Zoe Lofgren Member of Congress Member of Congress _______________________ ______________________ Alan Lowenthal Stephen F. Lynch Member of Congress Member of Congress _______________________ _______________________ Sean Patrick Maloney David B. McKinley, P.E. Member of Congress Member of Congress _______________________ _______________________ Cathy McMorris Rodgers Dan Meuser Member of Congress Member of Congress _______________________ _____________________ Gwen Moore Grace F. Napolitano Member of Congress Member of Congress _______________________ _______________________ Joe Neguse Dan Newhouse Member of Congress Member of Congress _______________________ _______________________ Eleanor Holmes Norton Ilhan Omar Member of Congress Member of Congress ______________________ _______________________ Chris Pappas Jimmy Panetta Member of Congress Member of Congress _______________________ _______________________ Bill Pascrell, Jr. Donald M. Payne, Jr. Member of Congress Member of Congress _______________________ _______________________ Scott H. Peters Mark Pocan Member of Congress Member of Congress _______________________ _______________________ Ayanna Pressley Kathleen M. Rice Member of Congress Member of Congress _______________________ _______________________ David Rouzer Lucille Roybal-Allard Member of Congress Member of Congress _______________________ _______________________ C.A. Dutch Ruppersberger John H. Rutherford Member of Congress Member of Congress _______________________ _______________________ Tim Ryan Linda T. Sánchez Member of Congress Member of Congress _______________________ _______________________ John P. Sarbanes Kim Schrier, M.D. Member of Congress Member of Congress _______________________ _______________________ David Schweikert Terri A. Sewell Member of Congress Member of Congress _______________________ _______________________ Mike Simpson Albio Sires Member of Congress Member of Congress _______________________ _______________________ Elissa Slotkin Adam Smith Member of Congress Member of Congress _______________________ _______________________ Darren Soto Jackie Speier Member of Congress Member of Congress _______________________ _______________________ Greg Stanton Pete Stauber Member of Congress Member of Congress _______________________ _______________________ Steve Stivers Thomas R. Suozzi