APTA urges Congress to restore transit formula funding

The American Public Transportation Association (APTA) on Sept. 16 hosted a Capitol Hill fly-in, during which APTA members met with more than 100 senators, representatives and congressional staff. During the visits, APTA continued its call to Congress to restore advance appropriations for public transit and passenger rail in the December 2026 Appropriations Act.

The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act of 2021 (IIJA), which allocated the funding, was originally going to expire on Sept. 30. With a new surface transportation reauthorization bill not yet completed, Congress approved the Continuing Appropriations and Extensions Act, 2027, on Sept. 1. This bill extended federal funding and surface transportation programs through Dec. 11. However, that legislation did not continue the advance appropriations for transit and passenger rail provided through IIJA, APTA officials said in a press release.

The IIJA provided federal formula funding of $4.25 billion for public transit and $13.2 billion for passenger rail annually. Without restoring these advance appropriations, public transit agencies, passenger-rail providers and private-sector partners lose guaranteed, multi-year funding that they rely on to plan, finance and deliver projects, said Paul Skoutelas, president and CEO of APTA.

If not restored, annual federal funding for public transit would be down 20% from prior years, and passenger-rail funding would drop 81%, he added.

APTA has a slate of resources on its website, including funding tables to show how cuts would impact states and urban areas that rely on the formula funding.