WASHINGTON, D.C.—U.S. Representatives Greg Stanton (AZ-04) and Tony Gonzales (TX-23) this week introduced the bipartisan Highway Formula Fairness Act, legislation to allow rapidly growing western states like Arizona and Texas receive their fair share of federal Highway Trust Fund dollars.
The Highway Trust Fund finances most federal government spending for highways, transit, and highway safety programs. Revenues come from transportation-related excise taxes—mostly federal taxes on gasoline and diesel fuel, and the rest from heavy-duty truck-related taxes. However, these dollars are allocated to states based on a formula that has not been updated in more than 15 years.
“Relying on antiquated funding formulas to determine future infrastructure investments just isn’t efficient policy—it puts fast-growing states like Arizona at a significant disadvantage,” said Stanton. “I’m proud to join with Congressman Gonzales of Texas, another fast-growing state that’s gotten the short end of the stick, to introduce legislation to modernize this formula.”
Between the 2010 Census and the 2020 Census, Arizona’s population increased by 11.9 percent. However, in 2025, Arizona received one of the lowest percentages of funds relative to our state’s contribution. Similarly, Texas saw the third largest population growth over the last decade and still received some of the lowest percentages of base shares of apportioned dollars.
“Reliable infrastructure is critical to the Lone Star State. Texas’ population is growing, and we proudly welcome millions of visitors to our state each year. Maintaining highways is an important piece to keeping drivers safe on the roads,” said Gonzales. “In recent years, Texas has gotten the short end of the stick compared to other states when it comes to federal funding to maintain our infrastructure. The bipartisan Highway Formula Fairness Act adjusts the current method for calculating federal transportation dollars to ensure states with expanding populations, like Texas, receive their fair share. No more roadblocks on our watch, I’m glad to join forces with Rep. Greg Stanton to get this bill through Congress.”
The Highway Formula Fairness Act would allow for the decennial census to be considered when calculating apportionment—permitting states that have increased in population since the previous Census to receive funding that reflects that growth. The bill would also require the Secretary of Transportation to conduct a highway formula modernization study to assess the methods and data that are currently used to apportion Federal-aid highways funds.