1、CRS INSIGHT Prepared for Members and Committees of Congress INSIGHTINSIGHTi i The FAST Act Expires; the Department of Transportation Initiates Shutdown Procedures October 1, 2021 At midnight on September 30, 2021, the law authorizing federal surface transportation programs, the Fixing Americas Surfa
2、ce Transportation Act (FAST Act; P.L. 114-94), as extended, expired. The House is considering the Senate-passed Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (H.R. 3684), which would reauthorize surface transportation programs. In the absence of new authority to expend from the Highway Trust Fund (HTF), th
3、e Department of Transportation (DOT) has begun to shut down the programs and activities supported by the HTF and furlough staff. The Anti-Deficiency Act (ADA; 31 U.S.C. 1341) prohibits agencies from incurring obligations that are in advance of appropriations except in certain circumstances. This mea
4、ns that transportation programs and activities supported by money from the general fund of the U.S. Treasury must be appropriated. In contrast, HTF funding is a form of budget authority, known as contract authority, which by law may be obligated prior to an appropriation and is effectively an except