In the waning days of the Obama Administration, the U.S. Department of Transportation saw reason to investigate the civil rights implications of a decision to cancel funding for the Baltimore Red Line light rail project.

Angie Schmitt reports on the latest twist of the Baltimore Red Line saga: The Trump Administration has quietly ended an investigation into the question of whether Governor Larry Hogan's decision to kill the project violated Title VI of the Civil Rights Act.
"Now, six months into the Trump presidency, U.S. DOT has quietly terminated the civil rights investigation, without elaborating why," according to Schmitt. The article also includes a passage from a statement by NAACP Legal Defense Fund President Sherrilyn Ifill in response to the decision.
According to Schmitt, the Red Line investigation could have had groundbreaking scope and impact: "If investigators had ruled against Hogan, U.S. DOT could have frozen all federal transportation funds to Maryland until the problem had been remedied."
FULL STORY: Trump DOT Shuts Down Civil Rights Probe of Larry Hogan’s Decision to Kill the Red Line

Trump Administration Could Effectively End Housing Voucher Program
Federal officials are eyeing major cuts to the Section 8 program that helps millions of low-income households pay rent.

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

Ken Jennings Launches Transit Web Series
The Jeopardy champ wants you to ride public transit.

Making Mobility More Inclusive
A new study highlights the challenges people with disabilities continue to face in navigating urban spaces.

Texas Bills Could Push More People Into Homelessness
A proposal to speed up the eviction process and a bill that would accelerate enforcement of an existing camping ban could make the state’s homelessness crisis worse, advocates say.

USGS Water Science Centers Targeted for Closure
If their work is suspended, states could lose a valuable resource for monitoring, understanding, and managing water resources.
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