This week, the House Appropriations Committee approved legislation funding the U.S. Department of Transportation for Fiscal Year 2018, which begins on October 1. The bill fully funded the federal-aid highway program at the Fixing America’s Surface Transportation (FAST) Act authorized level of $44.234 billion, an increase of 2.2% over FY 2017. Transit formula grants were funded at FAST Act level of $9.733 billion. The bill, however, cuts the transit Capital Investment Grant (CIG) program by $650 million. The subcommittee-approved funding level for the Department is short of the $2.3 billion that was authorized in the FAST Act but is more than the $1.2 billion requested by President Trump in the administration’s FY 2018 budget proposal.
The legislation would also eliminate $500 million in funding for the TIGER grant program, which has been funded at that level for the past several years. The Trump budget called for eliminating TIGER grants and the House has routinely done that in years past. However, the Senate just as routinely adds the funds back in to the final bill.
The House bill also provides $500 million for a new AMTRAK Northeast Corridor state of good repair program, although all of these funds are being directed to the New York/New Jersey Gateway program to build and improve transit and rail tunnels into New York City. The Airport Improvement Program (AIP), is set to receive $3.35 billion. The AIP program has been funded at this level for the past six years.
For more information, contact Brian Deery at [email protected] or (703) 837-5319.
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