In a statement, the American Public Transportation Association was critical of plans by the Trump administration to end two grant programs that benefit public transit.
The administration’s fiscal year 2018 federal budget proposal seeks to end the Transportation Investment Generating Economy Recovery grants and to phase out the Capital Improvement Grants program.
“This budget proposal to eliminate critical public transportation infrastructure projects is inconsistent with addressing America’s critical transportation needs and helping America’s economy prosper,” said Richard White, APTA’s acting president and chief executive officer, in a news release. “These targeted cuts to public transit go directly against the president’s own calls for new infrastructure spending.”
An earlier “skinny budget” blueprint released by the White House had outlined the administration’s desire to slash both programs, but some public transportation officials had hoped that a backlash against those proposed cuts would change the administration’s mind.
APTA said that Congress has been annually funding the TIGER grant program “at significant levels.”
The proposed transit cuts would put 800,000 jobs at risk and a possible loss of $90 billion in economic output, APTA officials said, citing a recent economic analysis prepared for the association.
That analysis said the spending cuts would endanger $38 billion of already planned transit projects.
“We are extremely concerned with the administration’s proposal to phase out existing infrastructure programs that are putting people to work building projects that our communities need and support,” White said.
Tags: American Public Transportation Association, FTA grants, FY 2018 federal budget, Public transportation, public transportation funding, public transportation grants, TIGER funding, Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery, Trump administration
akronrrclub.wordpress.com 
Leave a Reply