APTA Writes to House T&I Committee Regarding BUILD America 250 Act
5/20/2026
In a letter to Rep. Sam Graves (R-MO), Chairman, House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure (T&I), and Rep. Rick Larsen (D-WA), Ranking Member, APTA President and CEO Paul P. Skoutelas praised the bipartisan introduction of H.R. 8870, the BUILD America 250 Act, while at the same time, outlining several major concerns and recommendations it hopes Congress will address as the legislation advances.
The letter strongly urges Congress to maintain and expand guaranteed funding for public transit and passenger rail. APTA’s recommendations call for $138 billion for public transit and $130 billion for passenger rail over five years to address a nationwide state-of-good-repair backlog exceeding $150 billion, improve mobility, and support innovation and safety improvements. The association warned that the bill’s current funding structure does not go far enough, particularly for passenger rail, which currently lacks guaranteed funding in the legislation. “Congress must build upon current public transit investments (including guaranteed funding) to ensure public transit agencies can address this state-of-good-repair backlog,” the letter states.
APTA also praised numerous policy provisions designed to accelerate project delivery and reduce regulatory barriers. The association expressed strong support for reforms to FTA’s Capital Investment Grants program, expanded National Environmental Policy Act categorical exclusions, advance property acquisition authority, and other provisions intended to streamline environmental reviews and project development.
In addition, the letter highlighted several “commonsense” USDOT reforms, including greater flexibility for transit agencies on fleet spare ratios, expanded innovative procurement authorities, and permanent flexibility regarding Commercial Driver’s License testing requirements for transit operators.
APTA also identified several policy areas of “significant concern.” Among them are the proposed Consolidated State Block Grant Program, provisions limiting federal contributions for bus procurements, and new federal mandates on local transit agencies. APTA argued that the block grant proposal could reduce local decision-making authority and add unnecessary bureaucracy. The association also warned that limiting federal bus procurement contributions could destabilize domestic manufacturing and supply chains at a time when the industry is already working to improve competition and reduce costs.
The letter additionally raised concerns about mandates requiring fully enclosed bus driver workstations on all new buses, arguing that transit agencies should retain flexibility through their existing safety management systems and labor-management safety committees to determine the most appropriate technologies for their operations.
Skoutelas concluded by reiterating APTA’s willingness to continue collaborating with lawmakers as the legislation moves forward. “Again, the BUILD America 250 Act is a great first step. We look forward to working with Congress as this legislation moves forward.”