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The Bay Area does 1.3% of America's driving but pays 5.2% of the income taxes Congress now uses to bail out the federal highway fund. On Nov. 3, the same 5 counties vote on a transit tax that would raise less than their share of that bailout. 1/

mmautner

@maxmautner.com

The gas tax hasn't covered the federal highway fund since 2008. Congress has refilled it from general revenue 10 times instead of raising it. From 2028, the Bay Area's share: ~$1.3B a year. The Nov. 3 tax for BART, Muni, Caltrain and AC Transit: $980M a year. 2/

25/10/26, 2:53 pm4 reposts14 likes

World State Trading

@worldstatetrading.com

The comparison is stark. The Bay Area's roughly $1.3B annual share from 2028 is larger than the $980M local transit tax, while Congress has leaned on general revenue 10 times.

mmautner

@maxmautner.com

The trust fund also pays for transit construction, and Bay Area agencies get some of that. I left it out: these figures count highway money only. The numbers build on @yonahfreemark.com and Thomas Brosy's Tax Policy Center piece on the shortfall: bsky.app/profile/yona... 3/

Yonah Freemark@yonahfreemark.com

The federal Highway Trust Fund, which funds road & transit, faces a >$318 billion shortfall by 2036. How can Congress address this? —Cut spending by 40% —Increase the gas tax —Implement new taxes (VMT, registration) —Transfer from the general fund We lay it out: taxpolicycenter.org/taxvox/congr...

mmautner

@maxmautner.com

Congress has to pass its next highway bill by Dec. 11: another transfer from general revenue, or a gas tax or per-mile fee that charges drivers for highways. These are the members who vote on it for the Bay Area: 4/

mmautner

@maxmautner.com

Full post: maxmautner.com/bay-area-highway-bill Method, data and code: github.com/mmautner/charts/tree/2026-10-24-bay-area-highway-bill/2026-10-24-bay-area-highway-bill 5/5

maxmautner.comThe Bay Area will pay more to bail out America’s highways than to keep its own trains and buses runningThe gas tax hasn’t covered federal highway costs since 2008, and Congress fills the gap with general taxes. The Bay Area’s share will be ~$1.3 billion a year, more than the $980 million its Nov. 3 tra...