Outlet profile

Federal Highway Administration

U.S. federal government agency (executive branch)

Owned byOwned and operated by the U.S. government. It is an agency within the U.S. Department of Transportation. Its Administrator is Sean McMaster, who is appointed by the president and answers to the Transportation Secretary.

FundingFederal appropriations and Highway Trust Fund contract authority. The trust fund is financed mainly by federal fuel taxes, plus some general-fund money. The FY2027 budget request is about $66 billion, roughly $65 billion of it from the Highway Trust Fund. Its communications are paid for from this agency budget, with no advertising or subscriptions.

On the administrationbroadly supportive

Background

The FHWA traces to the Office of Road Inquiry (1893), which later became the Bureau of Public Roads. It took its current name and moved into the new Department of Transportation in 1967. It administers the federal-aid highway program, which sends Highway Trust Fund money to state transportation departments for roads and bridges. It also sets design and safety standards, such as the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices. Its publications cover road data, safety research and program guidance. Its public messaging follows whichever administration is in office, so the tone and priorities of its releases shift with political leadership. In the second Trump term, it has reflected the administration's emphasis on its own funding and policy priorities. Administrator McMaster testified before the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee on June 3, 2026, on the FY2027 budget. The Highway Trust Fund's spending authorizations expire at the end of fiscal year 2026, so reauthorization is a major open issue. As an official source, it is useful for primary data and program details. It does not offer independent journalism or criticism of its own policies.

Sources

Profile compiled 2026-11-06; refreshed when ownership, funding, or the administration changes.

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