Senate Approps. Committee Advances FY25 Transportation Appropriations Bill
7/26/2024
The Senate Committee on Appropriations marked up S. 4796, the Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2025 (THUD Appropriations Act) July 25. The bipartisan legislation was reported in a 28-1 vote from the committee. The House Committee on Appropriations marked up its THUD Appropriations bill (H.R. 9028) and approved it on a party-line vote of 31-26 on July 10. View APTA’s Legislative Alert on the House THUD Appropriations bill.
The Senate THUD bill appropriates the overwhelming majority of public transit and passenger rail funding authorized by the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA).Specifically, the bill, along with the IIJA’s advance appropriations, provides a total of $21.3 billion for public transit in FY25, an increase of $439.8 million (2.1 percent) from the FY24 enacted level and $1.7 billion more than the House THUD Appropriations bill.
In addition, the Senate bill and IIJA provide $16.7 billion for passenger and freight rail in FY25, an increase of $440 million (2.7 percent) from the FY24 enacted level, and $703.6 million more than the House THUD Appropriations bill. The bill appropriates $2.63 billion for Amtrak, a significant increase from the House bill.
The Senate bill also includes important policy provisions, such as providing a 100 percent federal share for § 5310 Enhanced Mobility of Seniors & Individuals with Disabilities and § 5311 Rural Area formula grants obligated in FY25. It does not include troubling policy riders, such as prohibiting actions on equity action plans and greenhouse gas emissions measures, included in the House bill.
The Senate bill and IIJA provide $3.9 billion for Capital Investment Grants (CIG), an increase of $57 million (1.5 percent) from the FY24 enacted level and $1.5 billion more than the House bill. Currently, communities are requesting more than $44.5 billion of CIG funds in FY25 and subsequent years to construct 65 projects in 25 states. View APTA’s CIG Project Pipeline Dashboard.
The bill also provides an additional $346 million for specific initiatives, including: $200 million for a bus leasing program for the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games; $2 million for Bus Testing Facility Grants; $67 million for Passenger Ferry and Rural Ferry Grants; $5 million for accelerating zero-emission bus adoption; $5 million for the accelerating innovative mobility initiative; $500,000 for Tribal Technical Assistance; and $66 million for congressionally directed spending for specific public transit projects.
In addition, section 163 blocks the Rostenkowski Test, preventing a possible across-the-board cut of FY25 transit formula funds to each public transit agency. Section 164 prohibits USDOT from impeding or hindering a project from advancing or approving a project seeking a CIG federal share of more than 40 percent.
Consistent with President Biden’s FY25 Budget request, section 168 expands public transit agencies’ authority to acquire land prior to completion of National Environmental Policy Act review. Specifically, the provision amends 49 U.S.C. § 5323(q) by replacing the term “right-of-way” with “real property interests,” thereby expanding the opportunity for broader property acquisition prior to the completion of environmental reviews. This provision would bring FTA’s property acquisition authority into parity with Federal Highway Administration programs. View APTA’s Fact Sheet on Real Property Acquisition.
Section 169 prohibits funds from being used to award or amend a contract for bus or rail rolling stock with a manufacturer that, at any time, met the criteria outlined in § 5323(u), including any entities resulting from a reorganization or restructuring or any successor organizations regardless of whether the reorganized, restructured, or successor entity currently meets those restrictions.
Finally, section 154 includes a sense of Congress noting the importance of long-distance passenger rail routes, particularly for those in rural areas, and the need to sustain such routes and services to ensure connectivity throughout the national network.
View APTA’s Public Transit Funding Table of the Senate and House THUD Appropriations bills.
View APTA’s Passenger Rail Funding Table of the Senate and House THUD Appropriations bills.
View APTA’s Priorities Letter to Senate THUD Appropriators for FY25.
View the Senate Committee on Appropriations Summary of S.4796, the THUD Appropriations Act.