Highway Trust Fund

E22390

The Highway Trust Fund is a U.S. federal transportation fund, primarily financed by fuel and related excise taxes, that supports the construction and maintenance of highways and mass transit systems.

Observed surface forms (2)


Statements (49)

Predicate Object
instanceOf United States government fund
federal trust fund
transportation trust fund
administeredBy United States Department of Transportation
surface form: U.S. Department of Transportation
allocationMethod formulas set in federal surface transportation law
benefitPrinciple users pay through fuel taxes for highway and transit infrastructure
country United States of America
surface form: United States
createdDuring Eisenhower administration
establishedBy Federal-Aid Highway Act of 1956
surface form: Highway Revenue Act of 1956
establishedInYear 1956
fiscalIssue periodic revenue shortfalls
fundsDistributedTo local transit agencies
state governments
fundType user-fee-based fund
governedBy Title 23 of the United States Code
Title 26 of the United States Code
hasComponent Highway Account
Mass Transit Account
HighwayAccountPurpose fund federal highway programs
historicalRole primary federal funding source for the Interstate Highway System
legalNature dedicated fund in the U.S. Treasury
managedUnder Highway Trust Fund provisions of the Internal Revenue Code
MassTransitAccountPurpose fund public transportation programs
overseenBy Federal Highway Administration
Federal Transit Administration
policyDebate fuel tax rate increases
long-term solvency
vehicle-miles-traveled fees
primaryRevenueSource federal motor fuel excise taxes
purpose finance construction of highways
finance maintenance of highways
support mass transit systems
support surface transportation programs
relatedTo Fixing America’s Surface Transportation Act
Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (as president)
surface form: Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act

Interstate Highway System
federal-aid highway program
revenueSource diesel fuel tax
gasoline tax
heavy vehicle use tax
tire excise taxes
truck and trailer excise taxes
spendingAuthorizedBy surface transportation authorization acts
subjectOf Congressional Budget Office reports
congressional budget debates
supportsSpendingCategory highway construction
highway maintenance
public transit capital projects
transportation safety programs

Referenced by (4)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

Federal-Aid Highway Act of 1956 expanded Highway Trust Fund
this entity surface form: Federal-Aid Highway Program
Federal-aid Highway Program fundingSource Highway Trust Fund
National Highway System fundingSource Highway Trust Fund
this entity surface form: Federal Highway Trust Fund