Department of Transportation says unrestricted revenues are small; warns of long‑term staffing and inflation pressures

Department of Transportation officials told the House Ways and Means committee that unrestricted miscellaneous revenue available to DOT is very small compared with the agency’s overall budget and that continued inflation and a high vacancy rate are primary operational challenges.

Assistant Commissioner and Chief Engineer David Rodrigue said DOT’s FY2024 expenditures totaled about $702 million and that most federal funds must be spent on federally eligible purposes, with limited flexibility to support routine operations. He emphasized that unrestricted miscellaneous receipts—proceeds from sales of surplus land, equipment, signs in right‑of‑way fees, print shop revenues and junkyard licensing—have been roughly between $200,000 and $1.2 million in recent years and that the department conservatively projects…