The Trump administration is pressing Congress to greenlight a sweeping list of policy priorities—including a framework for robotaxis and driverless delivery trucks—before lawmakers recess in August.
With current U.S. surface transportation law expiring Sept. 30, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy is making it clear: no short-term extension without key Trump wins baked in.
“Incorporating these focused priorities into surface transportation reauthorization efforts will provide immediate, transformative benefits to American transportation safety, infrastructure scalability, and consumer rights,” Duffy wrote to committee lawmakers in a letter released Wednesday.
The bipartisan BUILD America 250 Act—a five-year, $580 billion surface transportation bill—cleared the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee in May. But it still hasn’t hit the floor for a vote.
Congress is expected to pass a short-term extension to avoid a September funding lapse. Duffy is demanding they use that extension as leverage.
“If a short-term extension of current authorities becomes necessary, we strongly urge Congress to adopt a set of critical policy priorities.”
The administration’s ask list includes strategies to shore up the dwindling Highway Trust Fund, which funds U.S. highway maintenance, repair, and construction. The HTF goes insolvent in 2028.
Trump’s DOT proposes consolidating all fuel tax revenues into the Highway Fund—cutting out the Mass Transit Fund entirely. The goal: reestablish a direct user-pays model to address the funding shortfall.
The robotaxi push is another major piece. While the BUILD America 250 Act creates the first framework for autonomous commercial motor vehicles, the Trump administration wants Congress to go further: establish a voluntary AV pilot program that preempts state laws.
Translation: a federal robotaxi greenlight that overrides state restrictions.
Other administration priorities include expanding private-sector infrastructure investment, boosting commercial motor vehicle safety enforcement, and banning any federal or state mandate requiring vehicles to have automated driving systems or wireless data transmission.
More controversial requests: rescinding grants that incentivize electric vehicle adoption, implementing year-round daylight saving time, and incorporating Delilah’s Law—a Republican bill forbidding illegal immigrants and non-English speakers from obtaining commercial drivers’ licenses.
Lawmakers have already folded some Trump requests into the BUILD America 250 Act, including the Railway Safety Act. That measure closely resembles a bill Vice President JD Vance introduced during his term as a U.S. senator for Ohio.
Duffy closed his letter with a blunt reminder: “Although this Administration is eager to see a long-term funding bill passed by Congress, if an extension is likely that opportunity, it should not be wasted.”
The American Society of Civil Engineers gave mixed reviews to U.S. transportation infrastructure in its 2025 Infrastructure Report Card. Rail received a B-minus. Bridges got a C. But roads earned only a D-plus—and public transit scraped by with a D.
Trump’s team is betting Congress won’t waste a must-pass funding extension. The robotaxi framework could ride shotgun.
