This summer, both the House and Senate Committees on Appropriations marked up the Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies Appropriations bill (THUD Appropriations bill).
The House THUD Appropriations bill (H.R. 9028) significantly cuts public transit and passenger rail below the authorized funding levels of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. It cuts public transit investment by $1.3 billion and passenger rail investment by $263 million from last year’s funding levels. The House THUD Appropriations bill passed on a party-line vote of 31-26. View APTA’s Legislative Alert on the House THUD Appropriations bill.
Conversely, the Senate THUD Appropriations bill (S. 4796) provides the overwhelming majority of public transit and passenger rail investments authorized by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. It increases public transit investment by $440 million and passenger rail investment by $441 million from last year’s funding levels. The Senate THUD Appropriations bill passed on an overwhelming bipartisan vote of 28-1. View APTA’s Legislative Update on the Senate THUD Appropriations bill.
APTA strongly encourages you to urge your Representatives and Senators to honor the promise of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and fully fund public transit and passenger rail in the FY 2025 THUD Appropriations bill.
Here are four things you can do to make a difference:
Join APTA’s Advocacy Campaign Now
We ask you to join APTA’s email advocacy campaign now. APTA is focusing its advocacy efforts on urging Congress to provide at least $21.9 billion for public transit and $20.6 billion for passenger rail in the FY 2025 THUD Appropriations bill. These amounts would honor the promise of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.
Host your Members of Congress This Fall
APTA strongly encourages you to take this opportunity to meet with your Members of Congress and let them see first-hand how the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and public transportation works for everyone. APTA has prepared a Site Visit Toolkit to help you effectively plan, organize, and execute an event with your elected officials, including providing sample social media posts for maximum impact.
Participate in APTA’s 2024 Legislative Advocacy Fly-In
Please join APTA on Tuesday, September 10, for a day of in-person legislative advocacy to urge Members of Congress to honor the promise of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and fully fund public transit and passenger rail investments. Your voice is instrumental as Congress advances the FY 2025 THUD Appropriations bill and other critical legislation. APTA will schedule in-person meetings with Members of Congress and their staff on Capitol Hill on September 10.
The Fly-In is free to all APTA members and is financed by the APTA Business Member Activity Fund.
If you have any questions on the Fly-In, please email Melissa Mejias, Director, Government Affairs and Advocacy.
Use APTA’s Advocacy Tools
It has never been more important to make the case to Congress for public transportation investment. That is why we have created a one-stop shop explaining key advocacy tools, such as our APTA Industry Footprint and My Economic Impact Tool, for APTA members to engage with their Members of Congress both on Capitol Hill and in their Congressional Districts and States.
The APTA Industry Footprint is a great tool to share with Members of Congress, from showing how many riders utilize public transportation in their District, to the number of people employed in the industry. The My Economic Impact tool uses your transit agency’s budget data to calculate the economic impact of your transit service.
