Rail advocates: BUILD America 250 Act could slash railway funding by 80%

The National Rail Passengers Association is warning that the currently proposed draft of the BUILD America 250 Act would endanger funding for passenger rail and could ultimately lead to a drop of 80% in federal railway funding, writes Kea Wilson in Streetsblog USA.

According to Wilson, "Unlike the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, which the new bill would theoretically replace when it expires on Sept. 30, BUILD America 250 includes no 'advanced appropriations' for any transportation program not secured by the Highway Trust fund — a $106 billion category which includes all funding for passenger rail." This means rail funding would have to be approved by Congress each year, unlike funds for highway programs.

"Given an annual appropriations process that is more likely to generate an extended government shutdown than pass a bill on time, we can say with a high degree of confidence: there won’t be enough funding," said Sean Jeans-Gail, the NRPA's vice president of government affairs and policy.