House Committee Votes to Cut Dedicated Funding for Federal Transit Programs

February 4, 2012 - Posted by Lexer Quamie

Over the opposition of state transportation departments, the National Urban League, Transportation for America, the American Public Transportation Association, and a diverse coalition of other organizations, the House Ways and Means Committee today passed a bill that would strip dedicated funding for public transportation. The move cast aside a 30-year history of providing dedicated funding for federal transit programs.

The Leadership Conference and transit supporters say gutting a reliable source of funds for mass transit would hurt millions of people who depend on public transportation to reach employment, health care, and educational centers. People of color, low-income people, and people with disabilities – the communities most dependent on transit – are disproportionately affected by the decisions of both rural and urban transit agencies.

If the bill is approved by the full House, it would need to be reconciled with a vastly different Senate bill. Congress is seeking to pass a new surface transportation bill by the end of March.