| Year | Pres. | House | Senate | Democrats | Republicans | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1900 | R | R | R | Public movements looking to a permanent improvement of the roads and highways of the country meet with our cordial approval, and we recommend this subject to the earnest consideration of the people and of the Legislatures of the several states. | ||
| 1904 | R | R | R | First part of NYC Subway opens | ||
| 1908 | R | R | R | We favor Federal aid to State and local authorities in the construction and maintenance of post roads. | We recognize the social and economical advantages of good country roads, maintained more and more largely at public expense, and less and less at the expense of the abutting owner. In this work we commend the growing practice of State aid, and we approve the efforts of the National Agricultural Department by experiments and otherwise to make clear to the public the best methods of road construction. | Model T arrives on market |
| 1912 | R | D | R | We favor national aid to State and local authorities in the construction and maintenance of post roads. | ||
| 1916 | D | D | D | The happiness, comfort and prosperity of rural life, and the development of the city, are alike conserved by the construction of public highways. We, therefore, favor national aid in the construction of post roads and roads for like purposes. | Federal Aid Roads Act for “construction of post roads” | |
| 1919 | D | R | D | First transcontinental motor convoy |
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| 1920 | D | R | R | Improved roads are of vital importance not only to commerce and industry but also to agriculture and rural life. | We favor liberal appropriations in co- operation with the States for the construction of highways, which will bring about a reduction in transportation costs, better marketing of farm products, improvement in rural postal delivery, as well as meet the needs of military defense. | |
| 1922 | R | R | R | The Pershing Map, the first road map published |
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| 1924 | R | R | R | Improved roads are of vital importance, not only to commerce and industry, but also to agriculture and natural life. We call attention to the record of the democratic party in this matter and favor continuance of federal aid under existing federal and state agencies. | We pledge a continuation of this policy of federal co-opera-tion with the states in highway building. | |
| 1925 | R | R | R | Air Mail Act | ||
| 1926 | R | R | R | US numbered highways begin to appear/Air Commerce Act |
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| 1927 | R | R | R | Great Mississippi Flood/Charles Linbergh Flight to Europe |
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| 1928 | R | R | R | Improved roads are of vital importance not only to commerce and industry, but also to agriculture and rural life. | Under the Federal Aid Road Act, adopted by the Republican Congress in 1921, and supplemented by generous appropriations each year, road construction has made greater advancement than for many decades previous. Improved highway conditions is a gauge of our rural developments and our commercial activity. We pledge our support to continued appropriations for this work commensurate with our needs and resources. | Congress approves Boulder Dam (Hoover Dam) |
| 1930 | R | R | R | Hoover aks for $150m in public works project |
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| 1931 | R | R | R | George Washington Bridge Opens |
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| 1932 | R | R | R | The Federal policy to cooperate with the States in the building of roads was thoroughly established when the Federal highway act of 1921 was adopted under a Republican Congress. | ||
| 1933 | D | D | D | Tennessee Valley Authority created |
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| 1935 | D | D | D | Works Progress Administration created |
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| 1936 | D | D | D | |||
| 1938 | D | D | D | Route 66 is completed | ||
| 1940 | D | D | D | |||
| 1942 | D | D | D | Alaska Highway completed | ||
| 1944 | D | D | D | The Federal-Aid Highway Act of 1944 authorizes National System of Interstate Highways |
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| 1948 | D | R | R | |||
| 1952 | D | D | D | In cooperation with State and local governmental units, we will continue to plan, coordinate, finance, and encourage the expansion of our road and highway network, including access roads, for the dual purposes of national defense and efficient motor transportation. | Federal-Aid Highway Act of 1952 authorizes first funding for Interstate system | |
| 1956 | R | D | D | We commend the foresight of the Democratic 84th Congress for its enactment of the greatest program in history for expansion of our highway network, and we congratulate it upon its rejection of the unsound, unworkable, inadequate and unfair roads bill proposed by the present Republican Administration. | To meet the immense demands of our expanding economy, we have initiated the largest highway, air and maritime programs in history, each soundly financed. | Federa-Aid Highway Act of 1956 creates Highway Trust Fund |
| 1958 | R | D | D | Federal-Aid Highway Act of 1958 increases funding for Interstate system/Federal Aviation Act of 1958 |
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| 1960 | R | D | D | To meet this challenge we will establish a national transportation policy, designed to coordinate and modernize our facilities for transportation by road, rail, water, and air. | ||
| 1964 | D | D | D | |||
| 1966 | D | D | D | Dept. of Transportation established |
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| 1968 | D | D | D | Urban and inter-urban transportation facilities are heavily overburdened. We support expanded programs of assistance to mass transit in order to avoid unnecessary congestion in air traffic, especially at air-link residential and work areas. | We will make the Department of Transportation the agency Congress intended it to be-effective in promoting coordination and preserving competition among carriers. We promise equitable treatment of all modes of transportation in order to assure the public better service, greater safety, and the most modern facilities. We will also explore a trust fund approach to transportation, similar to the fund developed for the Eisenhower interstate highway system, and perhaps in this way speed the development of modern mass transportation systems and additional airports. | |
| 1972 | R | D | D | To create a single Transportation Trust Fund, to replace the Highway Trust Fund, with such additional funds as necessary to meet our transportation crisis substantially from federal resources. | The Nation’s transportation needs are expected to double in the next 20 years. Our Party will continue to pursue policies and programs that will meet these needs and keep the country well ahead of rapidly changing transportation demands. | |
| 1976 | R | D | D | To that end, we will work to expand substantially the discretion available to states and cities in the use of federal transportation money, for either operating expenses or capital programs on the modes of transportation which they choose. A greater share of Highway Trust Fund money should also be available on a flexible basis. . . A program of national rail and road rehabilitation and improved mass transit would not only mean better transportation for our people, but it would also put thousands of unemployed construction workers back to work and make them productive tax-paying citizens once again. | In keeping with the local goal setting in transportation, the Republican Party applauds the system under which state and local governments can divert funds from interstate highway mileage not essential to interstate commerce or national defense to other, more pressing community needs, such as urban mass transit. | First part of DC Metro opens |
| 1980 | D | D | D | The Democratic Party pledges to strengthen the nation’s mass transit systems. Federal funds must be provided for maintenance and repair of deteriorating systems, and for new equipment purchases for growing systems. . . The auto industry and its workers must be assisted during this difficult time. We are committed to an intensive review of the automobile industry’s fundamental problems, and to prompt, effective action to help ameliorate those problems. We are also committed to a strong trade adjustment program to help currently unemployed auto workers. | The forces of the free market must he brought to bear to promote competition, reduce costs, and improve the return on investment to stimulate capital formation in the private sector. . . A sound transportation system is a prerequisite for the vision of America that Republicans embrace—a prosperous, growing nation where dreams can still come true. | |
| 1984 | R | D | R | Economic growth requires that America invest in our infrastructure as well as in our people. Investing in infrastructure means rebuilding our bridges and roads and sewers, and we are committed to doing that. But it also means investing in our cities, in decent housing and public transportation, and in regulatory systems for finance and telecommunication that will provide a sound basis for future economic growth . . . This nation’s physical infrastructure—our bridges and roads, our ports, our railroads, our sewers, our public transit and water supply systems—is deteriorating faster than we can repair it. The gap between the necessary improvements and available resources grows every year. State and local governments, strapped by Reaganomics, have been forced repeatedly to defer maintenance, and to abandon plans for construction. | The Republican Party believes that the nation’s long-term economic growth will depend heavily on the adequacy of its public works infrastructure. We will continue to work to reverse the long-term decline that has occurred. We should foster development of better information on the magnitude and effectiveness of current federal, State, and local government capital expenditures and innovative financing mechanisms which would improve our capacity to leverage limited federal funds more effectively. | |
| 1988 | R | D | D | WE BELIEVE that we can rebuild America, creating good jobs at good wages through a national reinvestment strategy to construct new housing, repair our sewers, rebuild our roads and replace our bridges. | Republican leadership has revitalized America’s transportation system. Through regulatory reform, we increased efficiency in all major modes of transportation. By making our national transportation system safer, more convenient, and less expensive, we have both strengthened our economy and served the interests of all the American people: | |
| 1992 | R | D | D | To keep America on the move, we assert the same principle that guides us in all other sectors of the economy: consumers benefit through competition within the private sector. That is why we will complete the job of trucking deregulation. We will also abolish the Interstate Commerce Commission, finally freeing shippers and consumers from horse- and-buggy regulation. | ||
| 1996 | D | R | R | |||
| 2000 | R | R | R | Al Gore and the Democratic Party support the building of high-speed rail systems in major transportation corridors across the nation. High-speed rail reduces highway and airport congestion, improves air quality, stimulates the economy, and broadens the scope of personal choice for traveling between our communities. | From the era of the transcontinental railroad and the Panama Canal to President Eisenhower’s establishment of the Interstate Highway System, we have championed investment in transportation assets as a cornerstone of the economy and, indeed, our national way of life. . . Republicans are going to get transportation policy back on track, both here at home through a sound, long- term energy policy, and internationally as well, by pursuing the “Open Skies” agreements, first proposed by President George Bush, to open foreign markets for American aviation services. | |
| 2004 | R | R | R | Our nation’s transportation network is an integral part of our economy and an engine for economic expansion that must be strengthened. We are committed to vigorous federal highway and transit initiatives that put Americans to work, relieve traffic congestion, and foster long- term projects at state and local levels. | Republicans strongly support a comprehensive transportation policy agenda that enhances safety, reduces congestion, modernizes infrastructure, and promotes economic growth. | |
| 2008 | R | D | D | We will modernize our power grid, which will help conservation and spur the development and distribution of clean energy. We need a national transportation policy, including high-speed rail and light rail. We can invest in our bridges, roads, and public transportation so that people have choices in how they get to work. We will ensure every American has access to highspeed broadband and we will take on special interests in order to unleash the power of the wireless spectrum. . . We will start a National Infrastructure Reinvestment Bank that can leverage private investment in infrastructure improvements, and create nearly two million new good jobs. | We support a level of investment in the nation’s transportation system that will promote a healthy economy, sustain jobs, and keep America globally competitive. We need to improve the system’s performance and capacity to deal with congestion, move a massive amount of freight, reduce traffic fatalities, and ensure mobility across both rural and urban areas. We urgently need to preserve the highway, transit, and air facilities built over the last century so they can serve generations to come. At the same time, we are committed to minimizing transportation’s impact on climate change, our local environments, and the nation’s energy use. | |
| 2009 | D | D | D | American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 |
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| 2012 | D | R | D | We support long-term investments in our infrastructure. Roads, bridges, rail and public transit systems, airports, ports, and sewers are all critical to economic growth, as they enable businesses to grow. That’s why President Obama and Democrats in Congress have enacted infrastructure investments that will sustain our Highway Trust Fund and provide states, U.S. territories, and communities with two years of funding to build needed infrastructure. | Infrastructure programs have traditionally been non-partisan; everyone recognized that we all need clean water and safe roads, rail, bridges, ports, and airports. . . Republicans will make hard choices and set priorities, and infrastructure will be among them. | |
| 2016 | D | R | R | If we are serious about reversing the decline of the middle class, we need major federal investments to rebuild our crumbling infrastructure and put millions of Americans back to work in decent paying jobs in both the public and private sectors. . . We will put Americans to work updating and expanding our roads, bridges, public transit, airports, and passenger and freight rail lines. We will build 21st century energy and water systems, modernize our schools, and continue to support the expansion of high- speed broadband networks. We will protect communities from the impact of climate change and help them to mitigate its effects by investing in green and resilient infrastructure. | Our country’s investments in transportation and other public construction have traditionally been non-partisan. Everyone agrees on the need for clean water and safe roads, rail, bridges, ports, and airports. | |
| 2020 | R | D | R | We will repair, modernize, and expand our highways, roads, bridges, and airports, including by installing 500,000 public charging stations for electric vehicles, ensuring our passenger transportation systems are resilient to the impacts of climate change, and using safe, modern design approaches that allow drivers, pedestrians, cyclists, and others to safely share the road. We will launch our country’s second great railroad revolution by investing in high-speed rail and passenger and freight rail systems, and commit to public transportation as a public good, including ensuring transit jobs are good jobs. | ||
| 2024 | D | R | D | We can’t have the best economy in the world if we don’t have the best infrastructure. And for generations, American infrastructure was the envy of the world. But over the years, we stopped investing in it, and we fell to thirteenth in infrastructure rankings. . . The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law is breaking ground on over 57,000 projects across 4,500 communities nationwide. | Republicans will use all tools of National Power to protect our Nation’s Critical Infrastructure and Industrial Base from malicious cyber actors. This will be a National Priority, and we will both raise the Security Standards for our Critical Systems and Networks and defend them against bad actors. |