Economics
Highway Funds Are So Tapped that Republicans Want Higher Taxes
With fuel prices down, some politicians think the time is right to ask motorists for more.
Cars sit in miles-long traffic jam on southbound highway 101 as they approach a flooded section of the freeway on December 3, 2014 in Mill Valley, California.
Photographer: Justin Sullivan/Getty ImagesThis article is for subscribers only.
Falling fuel prices, crumbling roads and bridges and a gridlocked Congress have U.S. states, even those run by Republicans, debating higher taxes.
States including Iowa, Michigan and New Jersey are considering higher levies at the pump, borrowing more or other money-generating maneuvers to improve infrastructure. Prices at the pump falling by more than $1 per gallon since April may help ease opposition.