WASHINGTON – Congresswoman Kimberlyn King-Hinds said her office is working to ensure the CNMI is not left out of the five-year surface transportation reauthorization bill being marked up this week by the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee.
The committee is marking up the Build America 250 Act, the federal government’s five-year surface transportation reauthorization, which funds roads, bridges, ports, ferries, buses, and other transportation infrastructure. King-Hinds said the bill is critical for the CNMI because most major local transportation projects are federally funded, and transportation directly impacts tourism, shipping, and the movement of goods to the islands.
In a video message posted Tuesday, the delegate said her office pushed to increase territorial highway funding in the draft bill. Territorial highway funding currently sits at about $49.7 million, King-Hinds said. Under the draft, funding would rise to $51 million in fiscal year 2027, $52 million in fiscal year 2028, and $56 million by fiscal year 2031.
“That money obviously can be used to make road repairs, drainage improvements, and do some infrastructure hardening,” King-Hinds said.
The delegate acknowledged the increase is modest given competing demands. “Everybody’s fighting for money right now, and I’m just happy that my request is in there,” she said.
King-Hinds described the markup process as members of Congress going through the bill piece by piece, offering amendments, negotiating, and trying to add, remove, or improve provisions before the bill moves forward.
The delegate said her office is working on another amendment but declined to provide details until the markup is complete. She said the territorial highway push is happening alongside ongoing work on more immediate concerns at home, including the fuel situation.