Congress Passes Spending Bill, President Signs into Law

Before the funding deadline at midnight on March 14, the Senate passed H.R. 1968, the “Full-Year Continuing Appropriations and Extensions Act, 2025”. The bill previously passed in the House by a vote of 217-213. President Trump then signed the bill into law, avoiding a shutdown and funding the U.S. government for the remainder of the fiscal year.

In general, the full-year Continuing Resolution (CR) funds government programs, including programs of the Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies (THUD) Appropriations Act, through Sept. 30 at the same levels as FY24.

The CR, together with Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) advance appropriations, provides $20.9 billion for public transit and $16.2 billion for passenger rail in FY25. Under the bill, total public transit investment increases less than one percent and total passenger rail funding decreases less than one percent. The bill eliminates all funding that was designated for earmarks in the FY24 THUD Appropriations Act.

Public Transit

The CR, together with IIJA advance appropriations, provides $20.9 billion for public transit in FY25, an increase of $82 million (0.4 percent) from the FY24 enacted level. This total funding represents 95 percent of the amount authorized in the IIJA.

The bill and IIJA also provide $3.8 billion for Capital Investment Grants (CIG), equal to the FY24 enacted level. Currently, communities are requesting more than $38.7 billion of CIG funds in FY25 and subsequent years to construct 58 projects in 25 states. View APTA’s CIG Project Pipeline Dashboard.

View APTA’s Public Transit Funding Table for FY25.

Passenger Rail

The CR, together with IIJA advance appropriations, provides $16.2 billion for passenger and freight rail in FY25, a decrease of $99 million (-0.6 percent) from the FY24 enacted level. This total funding represents 78 percent of the amount authorized in the IIJA.

The bill eliminates $99 million that was designated for CRISI grant earmarks in the FY24 THUD Act. The CR retains important policy provisions enacted in FY24 THUD Appropriations Act, including authorizing CRISI grants for commuter railroad projects that implement or sustain positive train control systems.

View APTA’s Passenger Rail Funding Table for FY 2025.

View H.R. 1968, the Full-Year Continuing Appropriations and Extensions Act, 2025 and the section-by-section summary of the bill.