Washington, D.C. — Last year, a think tank released Project 2025, a playbook proposing the elimination of federal transit funding. A new Center for American Progress (CAP) column explains how this proposal would impact local transit systems, affect tens of millions of Americans, and undermine economic growth.
Project 2025 calls for eliminating funding for the Federal Transit Administration’s (FTA) core formula programs and its discretionary Capital Investment Grants (CIG) program. The analysis highlights the potential consequences on local transit systems, including the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA), which serves the New York City metropolitan area.
Key points from the article include:
Eliminating billions in funding for the FTA’s core programs and its CIG program would disrupt essential transportation maintenance work. In 2023, Americans took more than 7 billion trips. Without federal funding, local transit authorities would struggle to maintain their systems. Cutting the CIG program would hinder major network expansions.
Gutting FTA funds would impact millions of New York City transit users. In 2023, MTA received $2.1 billion from FTA’s core programs to repair subways, purchase new buses, and cover other capital needs—representing 19 percent of MTA’s capital program. Without these funds, MTA might defer critical maintenance, reduce service, or increase fares.
Slashing FTA’s budget could leave long-term projects unfunded. The FTA committed $7.4 billion to replace Hudson River tunnels and $3.5 billion for extending the Second Avenue subway line in New York City.
57 percent of national transit agencies serve rural communities. In 2023, people took 7.1 billion transit trips; half were by bus. Reducing funds could disconnect rural communities from jobs, healthcare, and education.
“Public transit is a vital component of our modern transportation system,” said Kevin DeGood, director of Infrastructure Policy at CAP and author of the column. “Project 2025 would badly harm local transit systems that support regional economies from coast to coast and increase costs for commuters.”
For more information or to speak with an expert, please contact Sarah Nadeau at [email protected].
