U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duffy has announced the approval of 76 new infrastructure grants totaling over $607 million. This move is part of an effort to address a backlog of more than 3,200 projects left unsigned by the previous administration. Since taking office, Secretary Duffy and the Department of Transportation have approved 405 grants worth nearly $5 billion, addressing approximately 13% of the outstanding projects.
“Under President Trump’s leadership, America is building again,” stated Secretary Duffy. He criticized the previous administration for incorporating what he described as "wasteful social justice and green mandates" into grants, which he claims increased construction costs and delayed projects.
The current administration inherited a significant number of unobligated grants from its predecessor, causing delays in critical infrastructure investments nationwide. Under Secretary Duffy's direction, efforts are being made to expedite the distribution of these funds while removing certain requirements such as DEI mandates and greenhouse gas emission reporting that were not mandated by Congress.
According to Secretary Duffy, eliminating these requirements will result in taxpayer savings as road construction costs reportedly rose by approximately 70% under the last administration due to these stipulations.
The newly approved grants include funding for various programs: Small Community Air Service Development ($1.6 million), Airport Improvement ($30 million), National Culvert Removal ($33 million), Wildlife Crossings Pilot Program ($126 million), Rail Infrastructure Improvements ($59 million), Railroad Crossing Elimination ($36 million), Buses and Bus Facilities Competitive Grants ($12 million), Low or No Emission Grants ($25 million), Tribal Transit Competitive Grants ($412,000), Port Infrastructure Development ($7 million), BUILD Projects ($19 million), INFRA Projects ($188 million), and SS4A Projects ($3.4 million).
