The House of Representatives Appropriations Committee issued a draft of its fiscal year 2020 Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies or THUD funding bill on May 22, which provides a total of $86.6 billion in funds to the U.S. Department of Transportation – $167 million above enacted FY 2019 funding and $3.7 billion more requested in the President Trump’s budget proposal issued back in March.
[Above photo via the Architect of the U.S. Capitol.]
The THUD appropriations subcommittee subsequently approved that draft by voice vote on May 23.
“This legislation not only provides much needed funding for roads, bridges, transit, rail, ports, and aviation, it robustly funds affordable housing programs and lays the groundwork to incorporate resiliency principles into community development planning, so we can build smarter and stronger,” noted Rep. David Price, D-N.C., chairman of the THUD subcommittee, in a statement. “It allocates new resources for aviation safety, highway accident prevention, and research into emerging technologies that are transforming our transportation system.”
“This bill represents a forward-looking vision to making transportation and housing safer, improving and modernizing our infrastructure, expanding access to affordable housing and strengthening communities, protecting the most vulnerable, and enhancing America’s resilience to climate change,” added House Appropriations Committee Chairwoman Nita Lowey.
“With this bill, we are laying the foundations for sustained economic growth and expanded opportunity, so that every person has a better chance at a better life,” she said.
Specific transportation-related funding measures within the THUD bill include:
- $1 billion for national infrastructure investments via the Better Utilizing Investments to Leverage Development or BUILD grant program.
- $10 million to fund a new program, the Highly Automated Systems Safety Center of Excellence.
- $48.9 billion for the Federal Highway Administration, which is $404 million below FY 2019 but $1.7 billion above the president’s budget request.
- $1.75 billion for discretionary Highway Infrastructure Programs, which is $1.5 billion below FY 2019 but $1.45 billion above the president’s budget request.
- $13.5 billion for the Federal Transit Administration, which is $60 million above FY 2019 and $1.1 billion above the president’s budget request.
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