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

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