Dive Brief:
- Federal spending on Amtrak, high-speed rail and public transportation would be cut by a bill marked up Monday by the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Transportation, Housing and Urban Development.
- The subcommittee bill proposed $22.1 billion in discretionary spending for the transportation department in fiscal year 2026, $3.149 billion below the fiscal 2025 enacted level and $4.744 billion below the president’s budget request.
- The bill increases spending for the Federal Aviation Administration by $2.3 billion over fiscal year 2025 funding and for the Federal Highway Administration by nearly $2 billion.
Dive Insight:
“The bill reflects the priorities of the Trump administration and implements staffing reductions while maintaining essential services,” Subcommittee Chair Rep. Steve Womack, R-Ark., said during the markup session. “Transportation safety remains our highest priority for DOT.”
The bill allocates $14.9 billion for the Federal Transit Administration, $1.777 billion below the fiscal year 2025 enacted level. It rescinds $40 million from unobligated 2025 funds for transit infrastructure grants. However, the bill provides funding for all projects ready for construction in 2026 by utilizing unallocated balances from the prior fiscal year and $1.6 billion in advance appropriations from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act.
The House bill asks for $2.3 billion for Amtrak, below the president’s budget proposal that would keep Amtrak funding flat at $2.427 billion. The House bill and the White House proposal shift funding from the Northeast Corridor to the national rail network.
“The Republican proposal takes an axe to the Northeast Corridor, cutting funding for Amtrak and New Jersey Transit,” Rep. Bonnie Watson Colema, D-N.J., said at the session. New Jersey Transit uses Amtrak’s line to New York City.
Under the House proposal, $75 million in funding for capital projects, maintenance and new or expanded intercity passenger rail projects under the Federal-State Partnership for Intercity Passenger Rail Grant Program would be rescinded. Rep. James Clyburn, D-S.C., said the cut “zeros out investments for Amtrak, leaving little to no room for making the necessary infrastructure upgrades for passenger rail.”
The House bill also prohibits funding for California’s high-speed rail project to connect Los Angeles and San Francisco, which is under construction, and a proposed Texas high-speed rail project between Dallas and Houston.
