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9/2/2025
The American Public Transportation Association (APTA) is calling on the Trump administration and Congress to invest $138 billion in public transit funding and $130 billion for passenger-rail improvements in the next five years.
APTA on Aug. 20 issued a letter to U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy urging the administration and Congress to enact a long-term surface transportation reauthorization bill that builds on existing investment levels for public transit and passenger railroads. The current legislation, the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act of 2021, is set to expire Sept. 30, 2026.
In the letter, APTA also formally submitted its funding recommendations to the USDOT for the surface transportation reauthorization. The recommendations address four key priorities for APTA: boosting economic growth; advancing safety, security and accessibility; streamlining project delivery requirements; and improving local collaborative decision making, APTA officials said in a press release.
Infrastructure investments would restore railroads' and public transit agencies' purchasing power lost to inflation over the past five years, APTA officials said.
"When it comes to smart investments, the facts speak for themselves. Every $1 invested in public transportation generates $5 in long-term economic returns, and 77% of federal public transportation investments flow to the private sector,” said Paul Skoutelas, APTA president and CEO.
APTA's recommendations to USDOT can be read in full here.