Sean Duffy (above), secretary of the U.S. Department of Transportation, provided testimony before the respective appropriations committees of the House of Representatives and Senate this week regarding the proposed funding outlays for his agency.
[Above photo via the House Committee on Appropriations]
While reviewing USDOT’s fiscal year 2026 budget request before the House Committee on Appropriations on May 14, Duffy also outlined plans to reorganize some of USDOT’s processes – especially where discretionary grants are concerned.
“Currently there are 10 to 14 different systems to track the status of grants across USDOT,” he explained in his written testimony. “Under my leadership, I am committed to consolidating all of this information into one dashboard so grantees and can see how our money is spent.”
Duffy noted that USDOT is requesting $18 billion in discretionary appropriations for the Federal Aviation Administration, which is $1 billion more than the agency’s FY 2025 enacted budget, specifically to support the hiring and training of 2,500 new air traffic controllers, the revamp of key air traffic facilities, and replacement of antiquated radar systems with the latest technology.
He added that the USDOT budget proposal also provides the U.S. Maritime Administration with $596 million more than its FY 2025 enacted budget largely to support the Trump administration’s push to revitalize the U.S. shipbuilding industry. That includes $550 million to reinforce port infrastructure and $105 million to resurrect neglected shipyards, Duffy said.
He noted that USDOT’s budget request increased an additional $770 million for the Infrastructure for Rebuilding America or INFRA discretionary grant program – specifically for the Nationally Significant Multimodal Freight & Highways Projects program. Additionally, the budget request seeks a five-fold investment in rail safety and infrastructure by providing $500 million in additional Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvements Program or CRISI funds.
Duffy discussed the same priorities during a hearing held by the Senate’s Subcommittee on Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies on May 15.
“Our budget carefully focuses taxpayer resources on items critical to our most fundamental mission of safety and investing in transportation infrastructure,” he explained in his written testimony.
“In total, the President’s budget requests $26.7 billion in new discretionary funding for FY 2026, or $1.5 billion more than in the FY 2025 enacted budget [or] about a 5.8 percent increase,” Duffy noted. “We have carefully planned for these dollars to fund urgent projects that, once built, will serve future generations for decades.”
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