Let’s get America building again

The views expressed by contributors are their own and not the view of The Hill

Seventy years ago, President Dwight Eisenhower launched the Interstate Highway System — the greatest public works project in the history of the world. He knew that America had to be connected if it was to lead the world.

This year, we have the privilege of celebrating the 70th anniversary of the Interstate Highway System, 100 years of the iconic Route 66, and, of course, the 250th birthday of our great nation. The Trump administration is moving full speed ahead to honor these milestones.

As we approach our nation’s 250th anniversary, the administration is focused on a historic revival of American infrastructure. This week, I took that message to the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, outlining how the president’s 2027 budget equips the Department of Transportation and the Federal Highway Administration to slash red tape, accelerate project approvals, and deliver on our promise to get America building again.

Under Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy’s leadership, the Federal Highway Administration is focused on large, durable projects that enhance safety — our top priority — while connecting our country and our people. The results speak for themselves. Since the start of the Trump administration, it has executed 888 grants and delivered $8.4 billion in competitive grants. To put that in perspective, the Biden administration only managed $9.43 billion across four years.

In 2025, the Federal Highway Administration has authorized action on more than 74,000 unique projects. More importantly, the number of active construction projects skyrocketed to more than 32,000 — up from just 20,000 in the final year of the Biden administration. That is a massive 60 percent surge in active construction projects across the country.

We are also laser-focused on accelerating project delivery, as every stalled project is a failed opportunity to deliver for the American people. When Duffy took office, he inherited a staggering backlog: 1,832 stalled grants worth $20.6 billion. These were projects the Biden administration had proudly announced to the public, but they had became trapped in bureaucratic purgatory due to social, climate and environmental-justice mandates.

The Biden administration believed that it was the federal government’s job to police what people think and how people build; the Trump administration knows that our real job is getting back to basics and getting shovels in the ground. By stripping away unnecessary requirements, Trump’s Federal Highway Administration was able to approve and finish the job of executing 60 percent of our inherited backlog.

Every month a project spends trapped in a federal review process is a month of taxpayer dollars wasted on consultants instead of concrete. By streamlining reviews and focusing on core engineering and safety standards, the agency has shaved nearly half a year off the average Environmental Assessment timeline. By streamlining environmental reviews, it successfully handed nearly 22 cumulative years of lost time back to American infrastructure builders.

America marks its 250th birthday this year, and we should celebrate by creating big, beautiful, and, above all, safe infrastructure for the American people. The Trump administration has shown that the federal government can build things quickly, efficiently and responsibly without sacrificing safety. By sticking to the basics, we aren’t just saving taxpayer dollars, we are building the foundation for an America that will be stronger, more connected, and more prosperous for the next 250 years. I can’t imagine a better birthday present for our great country.

Sean McMaster is the Administrator of the Federal Highway Administration at the U.S. Department of Transportation. Nominated by President Trump to lead the Federal Highway Administration on March 10, 2025.