Building to Win

Chairman Sam Graves

Chairman, House Transportation & Infrastructure Committee

What are Chairman Graves' priorities in the upcoming infrastructure bill to help drive manufacturing growth?

Manufacturing, like every other aspect of our economy, depends on a strong transportation system and infrastructure. President Trump has prioritized bringing manufacturing back to the United States, and he's already seen significant success. As Chairman of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, I'm working to make sure we have an efficient, safe, and reliable infrastructure that supports and facilitates the growth of manufacturing in the United States. The best way to do that is by passing a bill that focuses on building the infrastructure needed to move goods and people safely and efficiently. The next surface transportation reauthorization bill will focus on hard infrastructure, such as roads and bridges.

Another main priority of mine is fixing the Highway Trust Fund, which serves as the main funding source at the federal level for road and bridge projects. We must address the solvency challenges facing the Highway Trust Fund and preserve our user-pays system. Right now, that system is broken, and it has been for some time. The best way to provide long-term certainty is to finally begin shoring up the Highway Trust Fund and ensuring that all users are paying into the system.

Additionally, this bill is about looking forward and building an infrastructure for the future. Anticipating the transportation and infrastructure needs of the next 20 years is the best way to support economic growth and help our manufacturers as their industry continues to evolve.

Why is it important that Congress pass a surface transportation reauthorization bill this year?

The surface transportation reauthorization bill impacts all Americans – we all use or rely on roads, bridges, and rails. Traditionally, this legislation provides tens of billions of dollars in annual funding to improve American highways, bridges, transit, and other surface transportation infrastructure. It also provides funding for rail, trucking safety, and other transportation programs.

Surface transportation bills typically expire after five years. That multi-year timeframe gives states the long-term funding certainty they need to plan and carry out many of their most critical projects. The current highway bill, which was part of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, expires on September 30, 2026. Unless Congress acts before then, federal programs will be impacted, including that long-term certainty. This is unacceptable, and I'm committed to getting the next surface bill done on time and preventing potential project delays and uncertainty that can result from a lapse in long-term funding.

How does investing in infrastructure benefit the people and manufacturers in your district?

I represent all of North Missouri. Investing in our roads has never been more important for the future of our communities, large and small. For manufacturers to succeed, as well as to attract new companies, we've got to have good infrastructure. It's critical for shipping Missouri-made products across the country, for receiving inputs and for farmers getting goods to market. As we work to bring manufacturing back to the United States, my district and many others see an opportunity to grow their local economy. In order to make that happen, we have to maintain and improve our infrastructure across the country.

Why is the NAM's leadership on this issue so critical to getting an infrastructure bill done this year?

NAM has over 14,000 members from every sector of manufacturing. The United States depends on a strong manufacturing industry, and NAM provides a voice for our manufacturers, large and small. They are truly at the center of manufacturing in this country. So, when it comes to getting an infrastructure bill of this size done, we need to hear from all industries, especially our manufacturers. Whether it's in the early stages of crafting the bill when we're looking for feedback on existing policy and asking for priorities from the manufacturing industry – and we appreciate NAM's efforts in that process – or after the bill has been introduced and is working its way through the legislative process, organizations like NAM have an important role in getting information out there about what the bill does and how it will benefit the country.

Sen. Kevin Cramer

U.S. Senator, North Dakota

What are Sen. Cramer's priorities in the upcoming infrastructure bill to help drive manufacturing growth?

Interstate commerce is dependent on a functioning transportation network. As we revitalize our manufacturing industry after decades of industrial decay, we must make the investments necessary to move goods safely and efficiently from one side of the country to another. This is an ongoing commitment requiring continued investment in our nation's roads and bridges. We need to also maintain a strong emphasis on cutting red tape, permitting reform and flexibility. Our reauthorization bill should also prioritize providing funding to states through a set formula, so money is not just funneled to population hubs. It's an approach I worked hard to maintain under the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act and must continue. It ensures states have consistent funding and flexibility to meet their constituents' needs, and it is the most effective way to deliver projects. Accelerating project delivery isn't entirely about building things more quickly. If we streamline projects and eliminate duplicative permitting and other requirements in the Federal-aid Highway Program, we're saving taxpayer dollars and giving people higher quality infrastructure more quickly. If we create a better infrastructure baseline, the benefits start compounding through the entire federal system.

Why is it important that Congress pass a surface transportation reauthorization bill this year?

Governments should provide a consistent framework where the private sector can create economic growth and jobs. This consistency is even more important for infrastructure projects, which often cost billions of dollars and span multiple years. Without the certainty of a multiyear reauthorization, states and locals won't develop and execute new infrastructure projects, and they will also struggle to maintain the existing systems and supply chains. Congress can't simply keep promising to fix things in the future. I can't drive across a bridge that's been paid for with nothing but a promise. President Trump and Republicans are committed to building things, which is why we've prioritized regular order, the appropriations process, and now this new highway bill.

How does investing in infrastructure benefit the people and manufacturers in your state?

North Dakota is a large but rural state in the center of the continent, and we rely on infrastructure to a different degree than people on the coasts. We're farther away from grocery stores, hospitals, and our jobs, making infrastructure at the front and center of our daily lives, as well as central in our economy. Whether it's transmission lines, pipelines, roads or bridges, infrastructure is the difference maker when it comes to turning raw material into economic growth and prosperity. It is a force multiplier for economic activity. In addition to having a significant manufacturing sector, North Dakota produces more energy and agriculture products than we consume, so the state of our infrastructure determines how quickly and efficiently our business owners can get their products to market.

Why is the NAM's leadership on this issue so critical to getting an infrastructure bill done this year?

North Dakota has a great story to tell. Although we are a rural state, the manufacturing centers, food processing facilities, and industrial factories in other states often depend on the commodities and raw materials we produce in North Dakota. An organization like NAM can fill in pieces of the puzzle not everyone sees about manufacturing in America. NAM can educate about how the wheat from North Dakota becomes pasta in New York and help build the case about why a member of Congress who might otherwise not care about an agriculture issue should support some of the exciting ag or energy projects we are working on in North Dakota.

Rep. Rob Bresnahan

U.S. Representative, Pennsylvania

What are Rep. Bresnahan's priorities in the upcoming infrastructure bill to help drive manufacturing growth?

For too long, Northeastern Pennsylvania has seen infrastructure projects talked about, studied, and delayed instead of finished, and that hurts workers and manufacturers alike. That's why my priorities for this surface reauthorization are cutting red tape, improving worker safety, and making sure federal dollars actually reach local communities so long-standing projects can finally move forward. When roads, bridges, and utilities work, local manufacturers can move goods faster, lower costs, and keep jobs here at home. Infrastructure policy should strengthen NEPA's manufacturing base and deliver real results, not paperwork and delays.

Why is it important that Congress pass a surface transportation reauthorization bill this year?

It's important that Congress provides our local communities and businesses certainty by passing a surface reauthorization bill on time. When federal programs and funding are predictable, it allows the states, counties, and municipalities to finish projects, keep workers on the job, and avoid higher costs caused by uncertainty. For manufacturers specifically, reliable transportation policy means safer roads, stronger supply chains, and lower costs to move goods. Getting this done on time is about keeping the economy moving and delivering results people can actually see.

How does investing in infrastructure benefit the people and manufacturers in your district?

Investing in infrastructure delivers real, everyday benefits for people and manufacturers in NEPA and across the country. Safer roads and bridges help workers get to their jobs and families travel safely, while manufacturers can move materials and finished goods more efficiently and at lower cost. Our district is a critical supply chain hub. From NEPA, you can reach 60 percent of the nation's population within a one-day CDL drive, which makes reliable transportation infrastructure essential to keeping goods moving and jobs here at home. When infrastructure works, NEPA works.

Why is the NAM's leadership on this issue so critical to getting an infrastructure bill done this year?

Congress needs to hear directly from the people who are building, making, and moving goods about what they need to succeed, and that's where the NAM's leadership matters. We should be setting up an environment that supports industry, not one that slows it down with unnecessary red tape and regulation. As someone who came from the business world, I know it's manufacturers and workers who move America forward, not Washington. NAM helps make sure those real-world voices are heard as Congress works to get an infrastructure bill done this year.

Rep. David Rouzer

U.S. Representative, North Carolina

Interview forthcoming

"The upcoming surface reauthorization package is critical to improving U.S. manufacturing, supporting our workforce, and safely and efficiently moving people and goods around the nation. The National Association of Manufacturers understands the critical importance of this reauthorization, and I am excited to have their support as we work to get this across the finish line." - Rep. David Rouzer