WASHINGTON, D.C. (March 10, 2022) – The American Public Transportation Association (APTA), on behalf of the public transportation industry, applauds House and Senate Appropriations Committee leaders on their bipartisan, bicameral agreement on H.R. 2471, the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2022, which passed the House of Representatives on March 9. The bill includes the Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2022 (THUD Appropriations bill). The THUD Appropriations bill fully funds the public transit contract authority and appropriates the overwhelming majority of the additional public transit and passenger rail funding authorized by the IIJA.
The THUD Appropriations bill provides $16.3 billion for public transit, an increase of $3.3 billion from the FY 2021 THUD Appropriations Act. When combined with the advance appropriations included in the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), Congress provides $20.5 billion for public transit in FY 2022, an increase of $7.6 billion (58 percent) from the FY 2021 enacted level.
“We are encouraged to see the House honor the promise of the bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act by providing the guaranteed public transit funding of the IIJA for Fiscal Year 2022,” said APTA President and CEO Paul P. Skoutelas. “This is a transformational investment in public transportation infrastructure that our country so desperately needs. Together with the additional funds provided for public transit and passenger rail, these historic and generational investments will enable our communities to provide access to opportunities and create family-wage jobs, advance equity, tackle climate change, and meet growing and evolving mobility demands.”
The legislation also provides $3.4 billion for passenger and freight rail investments, an increase of $483 million from the FY 2021 enacted level. When combined with the advance appropriations included in the IIJA, Congress provides $16.6 billion for passenger and freight rail in FY 2022, an increase of $13.7 billion (475 percent) from the FY 2021 enacted level.
APTA urges swift passage of H.R. 2471 in the Senate. Enactment of the THUD Appropriations Act will provide investments critical to meeting the growing and evolving mobility demands of our cities and communities.
###
The American Public Transportation Association (APTA) is a nonprofit international association of 1,500 public- and private-sector organizations which represent a $80 billion industry that directly employs 448,000 people and supports millions of private sector jobs. APTA members are engaged in the areas of bus, paratransit, light rail, commuter rail, subways, waterborne services, and intercity and high-speed passenger rail. This includes: transit systems; planning, design, construction, and finance firms; product and service providers; academic institutions; transit associations and state departments of transportation. APTA is the only association in North America that represents all modes of public transportation. APTA members serve the public interest by providing safe, efficient and economical transit services and products.
