The House Appropriations Subcommittee on Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies (T-HUD) recently approved its FY 2020 funding bill, which includes $86.6 billion in budgetary resources for the U.S. DOT.
The allocated federal funding to U.S. DOT is $167 million above the 2019 enacted level and $3.7 billion above the president's budget request. Committee members aimed to include provisions in the bill to address transportation safety concerns.
“The Department of Transportation should prioritize safety, and this bill would equip the Department to fund safety upgrades on our roads and rails as well as research to improve safety technologies," said House Appropriations Committee Chairwoman Nita Lowey, in a release. "And with report language encouraging all construction projects funded in this bill to integrate resiliency, the bill would make important steps to mitigate the impacts of climate change.”
Within the total amount designated for transportation, the bill includes $1 billion for National Infrastructure Investments (TIGER/BUILD), which is $100 million above the 2019 enacted level, and $10 million to start a new Highly Automated Systems Safety Center of Excellence. It also includes $48.9 billion for the Federal Highway Administration, $404 million below the 2019 enacted level and $1.7 billion above the president’s budget request. This includes $1.75 billion for discretionary Highway Infrastructure Programs.
Other transportation disbursements from the bill include $1 billion for the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration; $3 billion for the Federal Railroad Administration; and $13.5 billion for the Federal Transit Administration.
----------
Source: House Committee on Appropriations
