On July 12, a subcommittee in the U.S. House of Representatives approved legislation that would fund the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) through fiscal year 2024. The bill would provide $90.2 billion for programs at USDOT and Housing and Urban Development (HUD).
“The bill before the subcommittee responsibly funds our most critical transportation and housing needs, which will have a positive impact on every congressional district,” said Tom Cole, Chairman for the Transportation, Housing, and Urban Development Subcommittee.
The funding the House bill would provide is:
- $62 billion for the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA);
- $19.5 billion for the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA);
- $14.6 billion for the Federal Transit Administration (FTA);
- $1.4 billion for the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA);
- $1.2 billion for the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA);
- $145 million for the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB);
- $46.9 million for the Surface Transportation Board (STB).
“This bill prioritizes highway, railway, and aviation safety while maintaining housing assistance for our nation’s most vulnerable,” according to background the panel provided.
Fiscal-year funding authority for federal agencies requires renewal by October 1 to avoid a partial government shutdown.
Before the congressional debate, President Joe Biden issued his budget request for fiscal 2024. Biden proposed nearly $1 billion for FMCSA. The White House budget proposal also would provide FHWA with $60.8 billion, FTA with $17 billion, the FRA with $4.8 billion, and NHTSA with $1.3 billion.
Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg urged lawmakers to support Biden’s budget earlier this year.
“Our transportation system is at a turning point. We are finally in the process of renewing its physical foundations, but we are also grappling with serious vulnerabilities — especially in areas where federal oversight and regulation have been undermined — which pose very real dangers to workers, families and communities,” the secretary said. “In recent years, Congress has proven that it can deliver — on a bipartisan basis — the kind of transformative infrastructure law that evaded our predecessors for decades.”
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Source: TTNews.com
