--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The gas tax has been the backbone of the…" description: "\"The gas tax has been the backbone of the transportation system since the inception of the Interstate highway system in the 1950s.\" — Anthony Foxx" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fd2/anthony-foxx-16064_backbone_the-gas-tax-has-been-the-backbone-of-the_306651.jpg" --- # The gas tax has been the backbone of the transportation… ![“The gas tax has been the backbone of the transportation system since the inception of the Interstate highway system in the 1950s.” quote by Anthony Foxx](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fd2/anthony-foxx-16064_backbone_the-gas-tax-has-been-the-backbone-of-the_306651.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fd2/anthony-foxx-16064_backbone_the-gas-tax-has-been-the-backbone-of-the_306651.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fd2/anthony-foxx-16064_backbone_the-gas-tax-has-been-the-backbone-of-the_306651.jpg) > “The gas tax has been the backbone of the transportation system since the inception of the Interstate highway system in the 1950s.” [Anthony Foxx](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-foxx/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The gas tax has long funded highways, making it essential for maintaining and expanding the road network. **In simple terms:** Gas tax funds roads and bridges. Key Takeaway Support sustainable funding for transport. Themes infrastructure public policy taxation Mood analytical pragmatic Type policy explanatory When to use this quote - budget planning - legislative debate - public works - urban planning Key Concepts fiscal sustainability transport economics Questions to Reflect On - What alternatives can replace gas tax revenue? - How to ensure fair funding as driving habits change? A Different Perspective Reliance on fuel taxes may become outdated as vehicles become electric. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Backbone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/backbone/) [Inception](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inception/) [System](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/system/) [Tax](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tax/) [Transportation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/transportation/) ## Related quotes > [ The heyday perhaps of American public infrastructure is the Sputnik moment of the 1950s, the \[Dwaight\] Eisenhower administration, for instance, which rolls out the… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judy-woodruff/the-heyday-perhaps-of-american-public-infrastructure-is-the-sputnik/) [Judy Woodruff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judy-woodruff/) > [“Let's travel our own interstate highway Don't let yesterday's ghosts destroy your day”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-l-ratliff/let-s-travel-our-own-interstate-highway-don-t-let-yesterday-s-ghosts/) [Richard L. Ratliff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-l-ratliff/) > [“As should be clear by now, perhaps no national project has had more of an incidentally beneficial effect on science than the Interstate Highway…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-brannen/as-should-be-clear-by-now-perhaps-no-national-project-has-had-more-of/) [Peter Brannen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-brannen/) > [Thanks to the Interstate Highway System, it is now possible to travel across the country from coast to coast without seeing anything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-kuralt/thanks-to-the-interstate-highway-system-it-is-now-possible-to-travel-2/) [Charles Kuralt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-kuralt/) > [“Thanks to the Interstate Highway System, it is now possible to travel from coast to coast without seeing anything ”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/thanks-to-the-interstate-highway-system-it-is-now-possible-to-travel/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I've been on every interstate highway in the lower forty-eight states by now, and I never get tired of the view.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-earle/i-ve-been-on-every-interstate-highway-in-the-lower-forty-eight-states/) [Steve Earle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-earle/) > [The interstate highway system was built to get people from point A to point B as fast as possible. And they knocked down mountains…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lasseter/the-interstate-highway-system-was-built-to-get-people-from-point-a-to/) [John Lasseter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lasseter/) > [Dwight D. Eisenhower changed America forever with the creation of the interstate highway program.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-garreau/dwight-d-eisenhower-changed-america-forever-with-the-creation-of-the/) [Joel Garreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-garreau/) > [The Middle Way included the largest public works project in American history: the Interstate Highway system, which updated American roads for a driving generation…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heather-cox-richardson/the-middle-way-included-the-largest-public-works-project-in-american/) [Heather Cox Richardson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heather-cox-richardson/) > [In the long term, expanding and modernizing I-27 through the Texas Panhandle will promote growth by connecting rural areas to the federal Interstate Highway…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronny-jackson/in-the-long-term-expanding-and-modernizing-i-27-through-the-texas/) [Ronny Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronny-jackson/) > [The closest Western Civilization has come to unity since the Congress of Vienna in 1815 was the week the Sgt. Pepper album was released..…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/langdon-winner/the-closest-western-civilization-has-come-to-unity-since-the-congress/) [Langdon Winner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/langdon-winner/) > [If they don't board and live by themselves, even in their second year they've got no lounge or kitchen table and it's a pretty…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/trevor-nisbett/if-they-don-t-board-and-live-by-themselves-even-in-their-second-year/) Trevor Nisbett > [All this piling up of one technology on top of another-railroad on steamboat, interstate highway on railroad, hydroelectric dam on watermill-had reduced the Mississippi…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-raban/all-this-piling-up-of-one-technology-on-top-of-another-railroad-on/) [Jonathan Raban](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-raban/) > [Along with the GI Bill, which educated and housed Eisenhower's fellow veterans, the Interstate System has proved to be by far the most important…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-s-broder/along-with-the-gi-bill-which-educated-and-housed-eisenhower-s-fellow/) [David S. Broder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-s-broder/) > [Some writers say they cannot write in front of a window; many say they cannot function without almost perfect quiet. A writer with only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-wolfe/some-writers-say-they-cannot-write-in-front-of-a-window-many-say-they/) [Gene Wolfe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-wolfe/) ## More by Anthony Foxx > [If we're going to have an unconventional budget, we probably need an unconventional process to get there.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-foxx/if-we-re-going-to-have-an-unconventional-budget-we-probably-need-an/) [Anthony Foxx](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-foxx/) > [It is unacceptable for passengers to be stranded in planes on the tarmac for hours on end.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-foxx/it-is-unacceptable-for-passengers-to-be-stranded-in-planes-on-the/) [Anthony Foxx](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-foxx/) > [I aspire to be useful.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-foxx/i-aspire-to-be-useful/) [Anthony Foxx](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-foxx/) > [When you look at how American national freight systems are connected, it's a bit of a patchwork. When you look at how even road…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-foxx/when-you-look-at-how-american-national-freight-systems-are-connected/) [Anthony Foxx](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-foxx/) > [We cannot meet the needs of a growing country and a growing economy by simply maintaining our current level of effort. We must do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-foxx/we-cannot-meet-the-needs-of-a-growing-country-and-a-growing-economy/) [Anthony Foxx](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-foxx/) > [I know well the opportunities and the challenges of maintaining and improving infrastructure and providing good transportation choices.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-foxx/i-know-well-the-opportunities-and-the-challenges-of-maintaining-and/) [Anthony Foxx](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-foxx/) > [We know no one is perfect, but what we cannot tolerate, what we will never accept, is a person or company that knows dangers…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-foxx/we-know-no-one-is-perfect-but-what-we-cannot-tolerate-what-we-will/) [Anthony Foxx](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-foxx/) > [The rapid increase in the production and transportation of crude oil requires additional vigilance for the continued safe movement of this commodity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-foxx/the-rapid-increase-in-the-production-and-transportation-of-crude-oil/) [Anthony Foxx](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-foxx/) > [No one respects the First Amendment more than I do. People have a right to express their concerns and their hopes and dreams to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-foxx/no-one-respects-the-first-amendment-more-than-i-do-people-have-a/) [Anthony Foxx](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-foxx/) > [People are sitting in traffic longer, and the types of solutions that are needed to relieve that congestion are ones that are paid for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-foxx/people-are-sitting-in-traffic-longer-and-the-types-of-solutions-that/) [Anthony Foxx](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-foxx/) > [Less revenue, more people, more freight, more gridlock - that is not a formula for success.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-foxx/less-revenue-more-people-more-freight-more-gridlock-that-is-not-a/) [Anthony Foxx](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-foxx/) > [The key word for transportation in the 21st is 'choice.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-foxx/the-key-word-for-transportation-in-the-21st-is-choice/) [Anthony Foxx](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-foxx/) > [I was born to a single mom and raised by her and my grandparents.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-foxx/i-was-born-to-a-single-mom-and-raised-by-her-and-my-grandparents/) [Anthony Foxx](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-foxx/) > [Today, 65 percent of America's population live in metropolitan areas - and 95 percent of all the transit miles traveled are traveled there. Metropolitan…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-foxx/today-65-percent-of-america-s-population-live-in-metropolitan-areas/) [Anthony Foxx](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-foxx/) > [Part of being innovative in government is sometimes not trying to plot out the last chapter of the book, but to be open and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-foxx/part-of-being-innovative-in-government-is-sometimes-not-trying-to/) [Anthony Foxx](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-foxx/) [Explore all 41 Anthony Foxx quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-foxx/) ## More Backbone quotes > [“The Lord gave you a backbone because He wanted you to use it. So use it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-wilgus/the-lord-gave-you-a-backbone-because-he-wanted-you-to-use-it-so-use-it/) [Nick Wilgus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-wilgus/) > [Making money isn't the backbone of our guiding purpose; it is the by-product of our guiding purpose.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-buffett/making-money-isn-t-the-backbone-of-our-guiding-purpose-it-is-the-by/) [Warren Buffett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warren-buffett/) > [Truth of life is that in difficult times, my family was my backbone.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/manisha-koirala/truth-of-life-is-that-in-difficult-times-my-family-was-my-backbone/) [Manisha Koirala](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/manisha-koirala/) > [Gaming is the backbone of Nevada's economy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenny-guinn/gaming-is-the-backbone-of-nevada-s-economy/) [Kenny Guinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenny-guinn/) > [A true leader must have enough backbone to stand alone - even when the crowd wants to take the easy road home. A true…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leslie-ludy/a-true-leader-must-have-enough-backbone-to-stand-alone-even-when-the/) [Leslie Ludy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leslie-ludy/) > [General Petraeus is a man that has the backbone that somebody like President-elect Trump would love.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-scaramucci/general-petraeus-is-a-man-that-has-the-backbone-that-somebody-like/) [Anthony Scaramucci](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-scaramucci/) > [My Christian faith is my backbone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bear-grylls/my-christian-faith-is-my-backbone/) [Bear Grylls](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bear-grylls/) > [“Better to get spine broken than bend it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abhijit-naskar/better-to-get-spine-broken-than-bend-it/) [Abhijit Naskar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abhijit-naskar/) > [The backbone of our nation's domestic defense against terrorist attacks will continue to be the men and women in local law enforcement and emergency…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saxby-chambliss/the-backbone-of-our-nation-s-domestic-defense-against-terrorist/) [Saxby Chambliss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saxby-chambliss/) > [If an adversary didn't target our power plants but they did target the core routers, the backbones that tie our internet connections together, entire…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-snowden/if-an-adversary-didn-t-target-our-power-plants-but-they-did-target/) [Edward Snowden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-snowden/) > [I don't have any contempt for the men who have to have jobs and have to commute and have to pay the mortgage and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sloan-wilson/i-don-t-have-any-contempt-for-the-men-who-have-to-have-jobs-and-have/) [Sloan Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sloan-wilson/) > [News is the backbone of our network; the main commodity and the main successes of Al Jazeera came out of our involvement in covering…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wadah-khanfar/news-is-the-backbone-of-our-network-the-main-commodity-and-the-main/) [Wadah Khanfar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wadah-khanfar/) > [He was a tool of the boss, without brains or backbone.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/franz-kafka/he-was-a-tool-of-the-boss-without-brains-or-backbone/) [Franz Kafka](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/franz-kafka/) > [Inflationism is a dreadful cancer that is gnawing at the backbone of the civilized order.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hans-f-sennholz/inflationism-is-a-dreadful-cancer-that-is-gnawing-at-the-backbone-of/) [Hans F. Sennholz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hans-f-sennholz/) > [To succeed, we must have the will to succeed, we must have stamina, determination, backbone, perseverance, self-reliance, and faith.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/b-c-forbes/to-succeed-we-must-have-the-will-to-succeed-we-must-have-stamina/) [B. C. Forbes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/b-c-forbes/) [Browse all 318 Backbone quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/backbone/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The gas tax has been the backbone of the transportation system since the inception of the Interstate highway system in the 1950s.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Anthony Foxx" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-foxx/the-gas-tax-has-been-the-backbone-of-the-transportation-system-since/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Backbone" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-foxx/the-gas-tax-has-been-the-backbone-of-the-transportation-system-since/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fd2/anthony-foxx-16064_backbone_the-gas-tax-has-been-the-backbone-of-the_306651.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fd2/anthony-foxx-16064_backbone_the-gas-tax-has-been-the-backbone-of-the_306651.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fd2/anthony-foxx-16064_backbone_the-gas-tax-has-been-the-backbone-of-the_306651.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The gas tax has been the backbone of the transportation system since the inception of the Interstate highway…” — Anthony Foxx", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Anthony Foxx", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-foxx/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "The gas tax has been the...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-foxx/the-gas-tax-has-been-the-backbone-of-the-transportation-system-since/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-foxx/the-gas-tax-has-been-the-backbone-of-the-transportation-system-since/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```