Dive Brief:
- The White House fiscal year 2027 budget request, if enacted, would cut funding for public transit by 23% and for passenger rail by 82%, according to an analysis by the American Public Transportation Association.
- The proposed budget would also discontinue advance appropriations authorized under the 2021 Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, including those for transit capital projects, low- or zero-emission buses and transit system upkeep.
- The budget proposal does not address the upcoming surface transportation legislation that funds highways, bridges and mass transit.
Dive Insight:
In total, President Donald Trump’s proposed budget cuts $4.8 billion in funding for public transit and $13 billion from passenger and freight rail programs compared with the fiscal year 2026 enacted level.
Amtrak funding would be cut by 13.5%, affecting its national network and operations in the Northeast Corridor, according to the Rail Passengers Association. The president’s budget would zero out a program that provides funding for new intercity passenger rail service, improvements to existing service and projects to repair equipment and infrastructure.
“These reductions represent a dramatic step backward just as states and regions are delivering new service, modernizing aging infrastructure, and responding to unprecedented demand for rail,” RPA President and CEO Jim Mathews said in a statement. “Slashing funding to proven grant programs pulls the rug out from projects already underway.”
The president’s budget also eliminates funding for high-speed rail.
However, the budget proposes $403 million for a new program to improve passenger safety on the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority system and to modernize Union Station, both in Washington, D.C.
Last month, APTA called for a $268 billion investment in public transit and passenger rail over the next five years: $138 billion for public transit and $130 billion for passenger rail.
RPA urges Congress to “reject cuts to passenger rail and public transportation and to fully fund programs that deliver affordable, energy efficient, and reliable mobility for communities nationwide.”
