Dive Brief:
- The House Appropriations Committee on Tuesday approved the transportation, housing and urban development budget bill for fiscal year 2024 by a 34 to 27 vote. If passed in its current form, the bill would slash spending for Amtrak, electrification and equity programs.
- The bill would cut nearly $7.2 billion from the Department of Transportation’s 2023 discretionary spending authority and reduce DOT grant funding by 59% below current levels.
- Compared to the White House request of $144.9 billion for the DOT in fiscal year 2024, the House bill authorizes $100.9 billion, leaving a massive spending gap in the Biden administration’s ability to carry out its transportation goals.
Dive Insight:
Republican Rep. Tom Cole of Oklahoma said in opening remarks that the proposed budget would “prioritize transportation safety” while meeting “the challenge before us to reduce spending and get our debt under control.”
The bill eliminates funding for Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity grants and the Mega Grant program, which helps state and local governments as well as other eligible entities to fund large, complex projects. Mega grants in fiscal 2022 included $1.2 billion for nine projects including highways, bridges and street safety improvements in Philadelphia and Amtrak construction in New York City related to the Hudson River Tunnel project.
Appropriations for Amtrak would be reduced by $1.6 billion from 2023 levels, and the bill prohibits federal funding for the California high-speed rail project. It also bans the implementation of the Federal Highway Administration’s rule requiring states and municipalities to track and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
Rep. Rick Larsen, ranking member of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, D-Wash., said in an emailed statement that the bill “is an attack on the transportation systems Americans rely on that would kill jobs and stunt the growth of our economy.”
The AFL-CIO strongly opposed the cuts, saying they would threaten Amtrak’s expansion plans and create job losses.
“The entirety of rail labor stands together in opposition to proposed funding cuts that would devastate the U.S. passenger and freight rail networks,” said Leo McCann, president of the Rail Labor Division and president of the American Train Dispatchers Association, in an emailed statement. “Just as cities are making long overdue investments in public transportation systems and services, this bill would also rip away $2.2 billion in desperately-needed transit funding.” The statement also said the cuts would threaten Amtrak’s expansion plans and create job losses.
Andy Kunz, president and CEO of the U.S. High Speed Rail Association, said in an emailed statement, “With the ongoing climate catastrophe and aviation meltdown, now is the time to massively scale up investments in high-speed and regional rail. We urge all Members of Congress to reject this disastrous proposal.”
Republican leaders admitted that the proposed bill wouldn’t survive the legislative process unchanged. “We may have some disagreements across the aisle at this point in the process,” Cole said at the hearing, “but I know we will continue to work together to meet our charge to responsibly fund a government that is responsive and accountable to the American people.”
