Reports from inside the Trump transition are that the incoming administration will follow a budget blueprint laid out by the Heritage Foundation—public transit not included.
"Donald Trump is ready to take an ax to government spending," reports Alexander Bolton.
"The proposed cuts hew closely to a blueprint published last year by the conservative Heritage Foundation, a think tank that has helped staff the Trump transition," according to Bolton. "Overall, the blueprint being used by Trump’s team would reduce federal spending by $10.5 trillion over 10 years."
Writing for Streetsblog USA, Angie Schmitt digs into the potential for deep cuts in federal spending for transit. To do so, Schmitt takes a magnifying glass to the Heritage Foundation's budget blueprint, providing detail and context for each proposal on federal transit spending:
- "'Phase out' the Federal Transit Administration" for a savings of $4 billion a year.
- Eliminate $2.2 billion of annual spending on major capital investment in transit.
- "Eliminate funding for Amtrak – $519 million annually"
- "Eliminate funding for TIGER – $510 million annually"
- "Eliminate subsidy for WMATA — $153 million annually"
So much for the positive reviews and congressional support for the TIGER program, as described by Donald Trump's pick to lead the U.S. Department of Transportation, Elaine Chao, during her Senate confirmation hearing earlier this month.
FULL STORY: Trump team prepares dramatic cuts
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.
Funding Approved for Key Rail Connection Between New Jersey and New York
The Portal Bridge is a key component of the larger Gateway Program that includes tunnels under the Hudson River. Fixing the Portal Bridge across the Hackensack River will provide tremendous relief to NJ Transit and Amtrak commuters.
Omnibus Spending Bill Will Save Transit Grant Programs—for Five Months*
Congress passed a $1.1 trillion omnibus spending bill to keep the government operating through September that also restores funding to transportation programs that the president had eliminated or greatly reduced. Trump signed the bill Friday.
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
San Francisco's School District Spent $105M To Build Affordable Housing for Teachers — And That's Just the Beginning
SFUSD joins a growing list of school districts using their land holdings to address housing affordability challenges faced by their own employees.
The Tiny, Adorable $7,000 Car Turning Japan Onto EVs
The single seat Mibot charges from a regular plug as quickly as an iPad, and is about half the price of an average EV.
Seattle's Plan for Adopting Driverless Cars
Equity, safety, accessibility and affordability are front of mind as the city prepares for robotaxis and other autonomous vehicles.
As Trump Phases Out FEMA, Is It Time to Flee the Floodplains?
With less federal funding available for disaster relief efforts, the need to relocate at-risk communities is more urgent than ever.
With Protected Lanes, 460% More People Commute by Bike
For those needing more ammo, more data proving what we already knew is here.
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
Smith Gee Studio
City of Charlotte
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
Transportation Research & Education Center (TREC) at Portland State University
US High Speed Rail Association
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
Municipality of Princeton (NJ)