Urge Your Members of Congress to Support
Fully Funding the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law
House THUD Appropriations Subcommittee Marks Up
Transportation Appropriations Bill
Today (July 12), the House Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies (THUD) Appropriations Subcommittee will mark up H.R. ___, the THUD Appropriations Act, 2024.
The House THUD Appropriations bill significantly cuts public transit and passenger rail funding, as authorized by the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA). Specifically, the THUD Appropriations bill, together with the IIJA’s advance appropriations, provides a total of $18.9 billion for public transit in Fiscal Year (FY) 2024, a cut of $2.3 billion (-11 percent) from the FY 2023 enacted level. This total funding is $2.7 billion (-13 percent) less than the amount authorized in the IIJA. The bill cuts total Capital Investment Grants (CIG) funding to the lowest level in two decades, since 2003.
In addition, the House THUD Appropriations bill and IIJA provide $14.7 billion for passenger and freight rail in FY 2024, a cut of $2.0 billion (-12 percent) from the FY 2023 enacted level. This total funding is $5.6 billion (-27 percent) less than the amount authorized in the IIJA. The bill cuts the General Fund appropriation for the Amtrak Northeast Corridor by 92 percent and Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvements (CRISI) Grants by more than one-half.
The bill also includes several troubling policy riders, such as prohibiting actions on equity action plans and greenhouse gas emissions measures.
After the Subcommittee markup, the House Committee on Appropriations is expected to consider the bill in the near future, perhaps next week. In addition, the Senate Committee on Appropriations is expected to consider its THUD Appropriations bill in July.
APTA strongly encourages you to contact your Members of Congress and urge them to honor the promise of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law by fully funding public transit and passenger rail in the THUD Appropriations bill.
Public Transit
The House THUD Appropriations bill and IIJA provide $18.9 billion for public transit in FY 2024, a cut of $2.3 billion (-11 percent) from the FY 2023 enacted level. This total funding is $2.7 billion (-13 percent) less than the amount authorized in the IIJA.
The bill fully funds the public transit contract authority of $13.99 billion as provided by the IIJA. This funding represents a $356 million increase from the FY 2023 enacted level. It also does not rescind the IIJA’s advance appropriations, including funding for CIG, State of Good Repair, and Low or No Emission Bus Competitive grants.
However, the bill significantly cuts total CIG funding. The THUD Appropriations bill and IIJA provide $1.99 billion for Capital Investment Grants, a cut of $2.2 billion (-53 percent) from the FY 2023 enacted level and the lowest level in two decades, since 2003. The bill cuts the General Fund appropriation for CIG funding by 85 percent. Of the $392 million General Fund appropriation, the bill provides virtually no funding for Small Starts or Core Capacity projects. The bill significantly cuts CIG funding even though many public transit agencies are pursuing CIG projects to address the mobility demands of their communities. Currently, communities are requesting more than $49 billion of CIG funds in FY 2024 and subsequent years to find construction of 68 projects in 23 states. Please click here to view APTA’s CIG Project Pipeline Dashboard.
In addition, unlike recent prior THUD Appropriations Acts, the bill does not include additional funding for Buses and Bus Facilities Competitive Grants, Low-No Emission Bus Competitive Grants; and Ferry Grants. As a result, total bus grants are cut by $112 million. It does include $131 million of additional funds for congressionally directed spending on designated public transit projects.
The THUD Appropriations bill does include an important transit policy provision: 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. However, unlike prior years, the bill does not prohibit DOT from impeding or hindering a project from advancing or approving a project seeking a CIG federal share of more than 40 percent. See Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2023 (P.L. 117-328), Division L, section 164.
To view APTA’s Public Transit Funding Table of the THUD Appropriations bill, please click here.
Passenger Rail
The House THUD Appropriations bill and IIJA provide $14.7 billion for passenger and freight rail in FY 2024, a cut of $2.0 billion (-12 percent) from the FY 2023 enacted level. This total funding is $5.6 billion (-27 percent) less than the amount authorized in the IIJA.
The THUD Appropriations bill provides $876 million for Amtrak grants ($776 million for the National Network and $99 million for the Northeast Corridor). The bill cuts the General Fund appropriation for Amtrak by $1.6 billion (-64 percent). Similarly, the bill provides $258 million for CRISI grants, a cut of $302 million (-54 percent). The bill provides no additional funding for the Federal-State Partnership for Intercity Passenger Rail grants.
Section 153 of the bill prohibits any funding for the California High-Speed Rail Authority project.
U.S. Department of Transportation Programs
The legislation provides no General Fund appropriation for Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity (RAISE) or Mega competitive grants for surface transportation projects, including public transportation and multi-modal projects.
Section 126 of the bill prohibits any funding to finalize, implement, or enforce the Federal Highway Administration’s (FHWA) July 15, 2022 proposed rule on Greenhouse Gas Emissions Measures. APTA strongly supports FHWA’s proposed rule. 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).
Section 192 of the bill prohibits 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.
Section 428 of the bill prohibits 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.
To view the House THUD Appropriations bill, please click here.
