The Financing Commission's recommendations are set against a backdrop of policy considerations and assumptions that are explicitly outlined in this section. Each of these is addressed, as appropriate, in this report and in the Commission's final recommendations.
While the primary purpose of the Commission's deliberations has been to make specific recommendations about the advantages and disadvantages of various funding and financing approaches for surface transportation investment, the Commission recognizes the importance of underlying policy considerations that shape the federal role in transportation and that also must influence the ultimate finance framework to be selected. Accordingly, the following discussion sets out the Commission's understanding of the broader context for the nation's surface transportation system, which a funding and financing system must be consistent with.