The 2020 pandemic exposed glaring inefficiencies in how the United States approaches public spending on transportation. While some local projects demonstrated the success of results-driven investments, federal spending patterns revealed the troubling waste of millions of dollars spent with little to show for it.
With the 2022 Bipartisan Infrastructure Law’s trillion-dollar price tag now steering significant investments, we must learn from previous missteps to ensure that funding aligns with the national supply chain, supports trade policy, and delivers tangible outcomes.
Consider the pandemic-era spending on public transit. Agencies received hundreds of millions of dollars to sanitize buses and trains. Sanitation was framed as essential for maintaining mass transit operations, but that perspective ignored the fact that ridership plummeted during COVID lockdowns, leaving sanitized-but-empty vehicles running through locked-down cities.
Sanitation efforts did little to support the national economy, and today that money is long gone. Worse, the spending faced almost no accountability or oversight. Contrast this with smaller infrastructure projects that directly addressed community needs by reconstructing outdated roads, improving access in flood-prone areas, and modernizing critical routes for emergency responders. These efforts delivered measurable benefits within tight budgets and timelines. Yet such projects are often weighed down by burdensome regulations and audits that focus on procedural compliance instead of meaningful outcomes.
This discrepancy in accountability highlights a significant flaw in national transportation policy. Wasteful spending on underutilized mass transit systems is overlooked, while impactful projects that benefit communities and the broader economy face excessive scrutiny. The result is an imbalance that rewards inefficiency and stifles progress. The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law presents an opportunity to correct the course.
We need results-driven accountability with oversight focused on whether projects enhance national infrastructure and economic competitiveness, not on outdated nitpicking regulations. And we must prioritize strategic investments. Public funds should target projects that modernize critical trade corridors, reduce bottlenecks in the national supply chain, and align with broader trade policy goals.
But most of all, we need regulatory reform. Streamlining compliance processes will allow for more efficient use of funds while maintaining transparency and public trust. For example, the use of categorical exclusions for early activities, utilizing the Federal Permitting Improvement Steering Committee, and allowing National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) documents to programmatically cover multiple projects or regions would eliminate years of red tape and result in huge savings.
I am encouraged to see President-Elect Trump’s selection of former Congressman Sean Duffy as Secretary of Transportation, as this is a fresh leader with bi-partisan chops that can come in and renew efforts to implement great infrastructure policy.
America faces infrastructure challenges, but we also have an opportunity to set a new standard for smart, effective investment. By focusing on results, aligning spending with national priorities, and reducing red tape, we can ensure the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law lives up to its potential and drives lasting economic growth.