Last week, Senator Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), Chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, stated that he has ruled out a vehicle miles traveled fee on trucks as a way of funding the Senate's surface transportation bill. This announcement came after Chairman Grassley “tested the concept among members and did not find support for a vehicle mileage tax." Trucking groups had threatened to kill any bill that relied on what some were calling a "truck tax."
Congress continues to have conversations to find the best method to pay for the surface transportation reauthorization that will expire in October. Recently, House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Ranking Member Sam Graves (R-Missouri) opined that everything is on the table to pay for infrastructure: “Public-private partnerships, fuel taxes, vehicle-miles-traveled fees, even tolling.” Despite this positive outlook, Senator Mike Braun (R-Indiana) has advised county elected officials to "consider hedging your bets" in terms of getting any surface transportation bill done this year beyond a reauthorization.