Tennessee’s 8th district Congressman Stephen Fincher says the construction of Interstate 69 is critical to the western part of the state, but says his support falls short of increasing the gas tax.
The fiscal and social conservative from Frog Jump was in Paris Monday night for the Henry County GOP’s regular meeting.
Tennessee's much-anticipated I-69 project is funded with 80% federal dollars and 20% by state revenue in part from a gas tax. However, a 2015 report from the state comptroller's officesays the state’s revenue from gas taxes is not sufficient to support current infrastructure, putting many state projects on hold. One solution raised in the report was to raise the tax.
Fincher says it’s an economic necessity for western Tennessee to get I-69 built. And although part of the project is federally funded, he would not support a raise in the gas tax to fund the state’ end.
"All of the bureaucratic problems that we have, all of the regulatory problems that cost so much—every dollar we spend now to build a road, 50 cents goes to regulation," said Fincher. "Until you get that under control, I can’t go to the hard working tax-payers of this district and ask them to pay more taxes.”
Fincher says he would support seeking alternative methods, like private funding, to bolster the project.
"There are solutions being talked about: I've had meetings, two weeks ago, in New York, about private sector money coming into infrastructure," said Fincher. "But it's key that if America's gonna get back on top, we have to invest in our infrastructure. I'm totally 100% in, but until we get the bureaucratic problems and regulatory problems under control, I can't come to my constituents and raise the gas tax. But we gotta fix it, it's got to be fixed.
"I-69 will change west Tennessee, it's gonna change the whole southeast forever."
Fincher also spoke to his constituents on a host of other topics including de-funding Planned Parenthood, repealing the Affordable Care Act as well as revamping Republican control in the 2016 elections.
