Urge Your Members of Congress to Support
the THUD Appropriations Act
House and Senate Appropriations Committee Leaders Unveil
Bipartisan Consolidated Appropriations Act,
including the Transportation Appropriations Act
Yesterday, House and Senate Appropriations Committee Leaders released the final, bipartisan Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2024 (THUD Appropriations Act) (H.R. 4366, Division F) as part of a “minibus” bill of six appropriations acts, the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2024.
The House of Representatives is expected to consider the minibus bill on Wednesday, March 6. Under the expected House procedure, it will take a two-thirds vote to pass the bill. The Senate will consider the bill after House passage. The goal is to get the bill to the President’s desk by Friday, March 8. Under the existing Continuing Resolution (P.L. 118-40), U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) funding expires on Friday.
THUD Appropriations Act
The final, bipartisan THUD Appropriations Act provides the overwhelming majority of public transit and passenger rail investments authorized in the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) and APTA strongly supports the bill.
The THUD Appropriations Act, together with the IIJA’s advance appropriations, provides $20.9 billion for public transit in FY 2024, which is $364 million (2 percent) less than the FY 2023 enacted level. This total funding represents 96 percent of the amount authorized in the IIJA.
In addition, the FY 2024 THUD Appropriations bill and IIJA provide $16.3 billion for passenger and freight rail in FY 2024, which is $383 million (2 percent) less than the FY 2023 enacted level. This total funding represents 80 percent of the amount authorized in the IIJA.
APTA strongly encourages you to contact your Members of Congress and urge them to support the THUD Appropriations Act before funding expires this week.
Join Us: APTA Rapid Reaction Webinar
Please join APTA staff tomorrow (March 5) at 2:00 p.m. ET for a free, 30-minute Rapid Reaction webinar on the just-unveiled, final FY 2024 Transportation Appropriations Act.
Hear APTA staff outline public transit and passenger rail funding in the FY 2024 THUD Appropriations Act; describe impacts on the Federal Transit Administration’s Capital Investment Grant Pipeline; detail important policy provisions and funding limitations included and excluded from the final Act; and provide advocacy opportunities for APTA members.
Public Transit
The THUD Appropriations Act and IIJA provide $20.9 billion for public transit in FY 2024, which is $364 million (2 percent) less than the FY 2023 enacted level. This total funding represents 96 percent of the amount authorized in the IIJA.
The bill fully funds the public transit contract authority of $14 billion as provided by the IIJA. This funding represents a $356 million increase from the FY 2023 enacted level.
The THUD Appropriations bill, together with the IIJA advance appropriations, provides $3.8 billion for Capital Investment Grants (CIG), which is $430 million less than the FY 2023 enacted level. This total CIG funding represents 83 percent of the amount authorized in the IIJA. Currently, communities are requesting more than $45.1 billion of CIG funds in FY 2024 and subsequent years to fund construction of 66 projects in 24 states. View APTA’s CIG Project Pipeline Dashboard.
The THUD Appropriations Act also provides an additional $252 million for specific initiatives, including: $20 million for Passenger Ferry grants; $20 million for Rural Ferry grants; and $207 million for Congressionally directed spending on designated public transit projects.
Furthermore, the bill includes several important policy provisions. Section 163 of the bill blocks the Rostenkowski Test, preventing a possible across-the-board cut of FY 2024 transit formula funds to each public transit agency. Section 164 prohibits DOT from impeding or hindering a project from advancing or approving a project seeking a CIG federal share of more than 40 percent. Finally, the legislation authorizes projects in the Expedited Project Delivery for CIG Pilot Program to be eligible for funding under the CIG program without further evaluation or rating.
The bill does not include the following Senate THUD Appropriations bill provisions:
- Expanding public transit agencies’ authority to acquire land prior to completion of National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) review. APTA strongly supported this provision to bring Federal Transit Administration’s property acquisition authority into parity with Federal Highway Administration programs. View APTA’s Fact Sheet on Real Property Acquisition.
- Authorizing a 100 percent Federal share for § 5310 Enhanced Mobility of Seniors & Individuals with Disabilities and § 5311 Rural Area formula grants obligated in FY 2024.
- For Indian Tribes, authorizing a 100 percent Federal share for Buses and Bus Facilities Competitive Grants and Low-No Emission Bus Grants.
View APTA’s Public Transit Funding Table of the THUD Appropriations Act.
Passenger Rail
The THUD Appropriations Act and IIJA provide $16.3 billion for passenger and freight rail in FY 2024, which is $383 million (or 2 percent) less than the FY 2023 enacted level. This total funding represents 80 percent of the amount authorized in the IIJA. The THUD Appropriations Act and IIJA provide a total of $16.3 billion for passenger rail investments, including:
- $7.3 billion for Federal-State Partnership for Intercity Passenger Rail grants;
- $6.8 billion for Amtrak grants ($4.5 billion for National Network grants and $2.3 billion for the Northeast Corridor);
- $1.2 billion for Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvement (CRISI) grants (including $99 million for specific Congressionally directed CRISI projects); and
- $600 million for Railroad Crossing Elimination grants.
Within Amtrak National Network funding, the THUD Appropriations Act provides up to $66 million for corridor development activities and $40 million to improve Chicago Union Station’s concourse and related infrastructure.
The THUD Appropriations Act authorizes CRISI grants for commuter railroad projects that implement or sustain positive train control systems. It also authorizes CRISI grants for passenger rail planning and project development activities (e.g., preliminary engineering).
The bill does not include the House THUD provision prohibiting any funding for the California High-Speed Rail Authority project. APTA strongly opposed this provision.
View APTA’s Passenger Rail Funding Table of the THUD Appropriations Act.
RAISE Grants and DOT Policy Provisions
The THUD Appropriations Act and IIJA provide $1.8 billion for Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity (RAISE) competitive grants for surface transportation projects, including public transportation and multi-modal projects. The bill sets aside five percent of these funds for grants for historically disadvantaged communities or areas of persistent poverty.
Section 426 of the bill prohibits DOT from enforcing a mask mandate in response to the COVID-19 virus in FY 2024.
The bill does not include the following House THUD Appropriations bill provisions, which APTA strongly opposed:
- Prohibiting any funding to finalize, implement, or enforce the Federal Highway Administration’s July 15, 2022 proposed rule on Greenhouse Gas Emissions Measures. See October 13, 2022 APTA Comment on FHWA Notice of Proposed Rulemaking Regarding National Performance Management Measures; Assessing Performance of the National Highway System, Greenhouse Gas Emissions Measure (87 FR 42401);
- Prohibiting any funding to require any information or reporting with respect to any DOT grant program in accordance with an equity action plan, including the DOT Equity Action Plan published in January 2022; and
- Prohibiting any funding for activities to implement New York City congestion pricing under the Value Pricing Pilot Program or New York City’s Central Business District Tolling Program.
View the THUD Appropriations Act (Division F) of H.R. 4366, the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2024 and the accompanying Joint Explanatory Statement, which includes the list of Congressionally directed spending on designated transportation projects.
