U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA) (above) – ranking member of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation – recently updated a series of “Chopping Block” reports issued by her office in May with state-by-state data detailing the impact of current federal transportation funding cuts resulting from the Continuing Resolution or CR passed by Congress and signed into law back in September.
[Above photo via the Senate Commerce Committee]
The state-by-state reports compiled by Cantwell’s office outline impact of the Continuing Appropriations and Extensions Act, 2027 or HR 6500 that funds the federal government – including surface transportation programs – from October 1, the beginning of fiscal year 2027, through December 11.
However, because that funding extension does not provide funding for the “advance appropriations” programs contained within Division J of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act or IIJA, no FY 2027 funding is currently available for key federally supported transportation programs such as the Bridge Formula Program, the Federal-State Partnership for Intercity Passenger Rail grant program, and the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure or NEVI formula program, among others.
In total, the Division J funding cuts amount to $36.8 billion in FY 2027 advance appropriations for federal transportation infrastructure programs, Sen. Cantwell noted in a statement.
She stressed that, when the IIJA’s advance appropriations expired October 1, states saw “an immediate cut of more than 30 percent to their federal transportation funding.”
Subsequently, the updated “Chopping Block” reports outline the impact of those reductions to freight, aviation, railroad, maritime, and main street economic development infrastructure, with the new state-by-state reports detailing the impact of those cuts to formula and non-formula transportation funding programs for each state, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico.
“If not reversed, [those cuts] will drive higher costs for families, farmers, and businesses across America,” she emphasized. “Congress can and must act to restore funding for these key programs.”
“State departments of transportation depend on predictable federal investment to deliver safer, more reliable transportation systems and keep our economy moving,” noted Jim Tymon, executive director of the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials.
“Continuing the Bridge Formula Program and advance appropriations transportation programs critical to individual states will help sustain progress on projects serving rural and urban communities alike,” he said. “We urge Congress to work on a bipartisan basis to provide funding certainty and support states’ ability to address their transportation priorities.”
Top Stories
AASHTO, ITS Korea Sign MOU at ITS World Congress
October 30, 2026
Top Stories
