Mayors Speak to the Economic Importance of Public Transit and Intercity Passenger Rail

A panel discussion titled “Key Transportation Priorities in the New Congress” was featured at the 2025 Winter Meeting of the US Conference of Mayors (USCM) in Washington, DC, Jan. 17. The discussion focused on key transportation issues facing the new Congress, notably the renewal of the federal Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, which will define the level and scope of future federal investment in highway, public transit, and intercity rail systems across the U.S.

The discussion was led by Edina (MN) Mayor James Hovland, chair of USCM Standing Committee on Transportation. Also participating were Austin (TX) Mayor Kirk Watson, USCM lead on Surface Transportation; Gresham (OR) Mayor Travis Stovall, USCM lead on Public Transportation; and Normal (IL) Mayor Chris Koos, USCM lead on Intercity Passenger Rail and member of the Amtrak Board of Directors.

Also on the panel were Polly Trottenberg, deputy secretary, USDOT; Stephen Gardner, CEO, Amtrak; and Art Guzzetti, APTA vice president – policy and mobility, who represented APTA president and CEO Paul P. Skoutelas. Guzzetti told attendees that APTA appreciates mayors “as transportation’s key decision-makers and strategists. You helped pass the Infrastructure Law in 2021. You have compelling stories to tell about how investments in public transit have changed your cities and your constituents’ lives. Along with you, APTA is eager to help tell those stories to new Members of Congress and incoming Administration officials.”

Later during the meeting, Mayor Hovland identified the need for sustaining current federal funding for public transit investment as the top transportation priority for the USCM. In making the point that public transportation encourages the growth of metropolitan economic engines, he noted that three percent of the land in the U.S. produces 87 percent of the nation’s economic product.

The meeting also featured keynote speeches by President Joe Biden and Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg.