Congressional Panel Members Support Boosting Harbor Maintenance Trust Fund Allocations

Industry News / Infrastructure Funding

April 11, 2019

Congressional Panel Members Support Boosting Harbor Maintenance Trust Fund Allocations

Bipartisan members of a House subcommittee expressed support this week for fully allocating the $10 billion balance in the Harbor Maintenance Trust Fund (HMTF).

At a hearing of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Subcommittee on Water Resources and Environment, T&I Chair Pete DeFazio (D-OR) promised to introduce legislation to fully allocate HMTF proceeds each year to maintenance.

Currently, projects are funded on an annual basis. For Fiscal Year 2019, Congress has appropriated $1.59 billion for HMTF eligible expenses.

The HMTF is funded by a 0.125 percent tax on the value of cargo carried on ships between two U.S. coastal ports—including the Great Lakes—and on cargo imported through U.S. ports from other countries. Funds are used to supports port maintenance by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, especially dredging shipping channels.

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