Five Key Transportation Funding Proposals in Trump’s Budget

The President’s proposed 2026 budget would keep spending roughly the same for transit and rail and eliminate over $5 billion in funding for EV charging infrastructure.

1 minute read

June 10, 2025, 5:00 AM PDT

By Diana Ionescu @aworkoffiction


Texas Eagle Amtrak train pulling into station in Austin, Texas with glass high-rise buildings in background.

An Amtrak Texas Eagle train in Austin, Texas. | Lars Plougmann, CC BY-SA 2.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0>, via Wikimedia Commons / Wikimedia Commons

What does Trump’s budget mean for transportation? In a piece for Smart Cities Dive, Dan Zukowski outlines five key takeaways.

According to Zukowski, “The Federal Transit Administration’s budget would remain in line with the current fiscal year at $21.2 billion, including $4.3 billion in advance appropriations from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. That is $1 billion less than authorized for fiscal 2026 by the infrastructure law.”

The proposed budget would increase public transit funding by 1.5 percent and keep Amtrak spending essentially the same while shifting spending from the Northeast Corridor to national rail projects. It call for $3.8 billion in Capital Investment Grants, but eliminates “certain IIJA allocations for New Start, Core Capacity, Small Starts and Expedited Project Delivery Pilot Program projects.” The budget requests an additional $500 million for  the Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvements program, which funds passenger rail improvements.

The budget cuts roughly $5.7 billion in electric vehicle charging programs.

Friday, June 6, 2025 in Smart Cities Dive

Young Professional

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban and Environmental Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban and Environmental Planner

Get top-rated, practical training for planners

"Planetizen federal action tracker" logo superimposed over black and white image of US Capitol dome.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker

A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

48 minutes ago - Zachary Whalen

Overlapping highways

The state-sanctioned urbicide of Austin

People don’t kill cities. Freeways do.

September 8, 2026 - Benjamin Schneider

The Hoover Dam blocking the Colorado River. The river's water level is noticeably low. The cliffs surrounding the blue water are brown and jagged.

US to reduce Colorado River water deliveries to Mexico

A new Colorado Treaty amendment reduces Mexico’s Colorado River water allocation by 250,000 acre feet.

September 11, 2026 - The Arizona Republic

NYC Mayor Zohran Mandami speaks behind a blue podium.

Mamdani overhauls NYC's Vision Zero plan with 100 new policy goals

The overhaul aims to reduce traffic deaths and make streets safer for pedestrians, cyclists and drivers through lower speed limits, new safety infrastructure and more.

45 minutes ago - ABC 7 Eyewitness News

A New Jersey train approaches people waiting at the station.

Amtrak not solely to blame for New Jersey commuter rail's unreliability, report finds

A new study from the Garden State Initiative found that NJ Transit’s budget grew 20% across a 4 year period, but reliability declined significantly over the same period.

September 15 - Mass Transit

A tall, gray power plant billows smoke into a blue sky.

EPA erases limits on planet-warming pollution from power plants

Under Monday’s plan, power plants would still have some limits on how much mercury, arsenic and other contaminants they can emit.

September 15 - New York Times

FREE Course: Walkable City 1: Why Walkability?

After describing his path towards focusing on walkability as the essence of good planning, Jeff Speck marches through his five principal reasons for making more walkable places.

Reinventing Malls: Planning Alchemy—Turning Gray Fields Into Gold

The course focuses on the opportunities and imperatives that shape reinvention of mall sites.