Trump Administration Proposes to Divert Billions from Mass Transit to Highways; Advocates Sound Alarm

The U.S. Department of Transportation submitted two proposals that would eliminate the federal Mass Transit Fund and make it harder for states to fund transit projects, according to reporting by Chris Marquette in Politico. One proposal would eliminate the mass transit portion of the Highway Trust Fund and reallocate the money to road projects. A second would “eliminate the Federal Highway Administration's eligibility to fund transit projects and wants to prohibit states from using highway formula dollars for transit projects.”

In response, Transportation for America (T4A) and the American Public Transportation Association (APTA) issued statements strongly condemning the proposed cuts. Transportation for America called the proposals short-sighted, saying it would “annihilate state and local transportation budgets, strand millions of Americans who depend on transit every day in red and blue states alike, produce chaos and increase congestion, seize control from states, and utterly fail to actually solve our most pressing long-term transportation funding issues.”

APTA’s statement urges President Trump to reject the “misguided” proposals, saying, “President Trump is a builder and knows smart investments—every $1 invested in public transit generates $5 in long-term economic returns and 77 percent of federal investments flow to the private sector. We believe he recognizes the power of transit investment to strengthen American competitiveness; create family-wage jobs and increase opportunities for working-class people; ensure safe, secure, and accessible transportation; and foster innovation by supporting cutting-edge technologies.”