The U.S. Department of Transportation's proposed $108.5 billion budget for fiscal year 2024 prioritizes investments in infrastructure, safety, and innovation.
The department's budget request "will build on our tremendous progress by prioritizing important infrastructure improvements, innovative safety interventions, key systems modernizations, and a multitude of new and continuing grant programs that invest in transportation projects that impact American people’s lives," the DOT states in its 2024 Budget Highlights.
An additional $36.8 billion in guaranteed advance appropriations provided under President Joe Biden's Bipartisan Infrastructure Las (BIL), DOT's total budget for FY2024 will be $145.3 billion, according to the highlights.
The proposal would allocate $36 billion in funding for the Federal Highway Administration, $18 billion for the Federal Aviation Administration, $13.5 billion for the Federal Transit Administration, and $2.7 billion for the Federal Railroad Administration, according to the proposal.
"We cannot go back to the days when over 6,000 derailments happened yearly in America," DOT Sec. Pete Buttigieg said in an April 3 tweet. "This is no time to cut railroad safety inspections, as GOP House Freedom Caucus budget proposals would do. Our administration’s FY24 budget adds more resources for rail safety."
The Freedom Caucus, a "hard-line conservative" faction of the Republican Party, has proposed spending cuts it wants as a condition before "even considering" to vote to raise the debt limit, the Hill reported. The group has called for a cap on overall discretionary spending at FY2022 levels for the next decade, allowing a one percent growth rate per year, resulting in a $131 billion cut from current levels, the Hill reports; as well as several other proposals.
The budget also includes $3.7 billion for the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to support efforts to reduce traffic fatalities and injuries, and $2.4 billion for the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration to enhance the safety of the nation's pipelines, according to the bill’s text. In addition, the budget proposes $2.5 billion for the department's research and development activities, including efforts to advance connected and automated vehicles, sustainable transportation, and other emerging technologies.
“@POTUS’ budget will invest in America — supporting families, workers & strengthening transportation infrastructure and safety," Buttigieg said in a tweet on March 31. "The House Freedom Caucus budget would undermine service & safety by cutting 75 rail safety inspectors & 125 air control towers."
The DOT's proposed budget is part of the Biden-Harris administration’s broader efforts to rebuild and modernize the nation's infrastructure, create jobs, and address climate change, the highlights state. The budget will now be reviewed by Congress, which will have the final say on how the funding is allocated.
