With more than 100 colleagues joining him in urging the tax policy committee to ensure the solvency of the Highway Trust Fund this year, the leader of the subcommittee on highways is continuing to push for sustainable funding for infrastructure projects as Congress turns its attention to reforming tax policy.

A jump in traffic fatalities last year pushed deaths on U.S. roads to their highest level in nearly a decade. The national numbers erased improvements made during the Great Recession and economic recovery, according to the Associated Press, citing data from the National Safety Council.

When Americans cast their ballots for president and members of Congress, they also will help to determine the outlook for the country’s highway funding that is so critical to freight movement.

The chairman of the subcommittee on highways in the House said he is optimistic Congress will agree on a long-term funding fix for infrastructure projects before a highway law expires in 2020.