WASHINGTON — Legislation re-introduced by two U.S. Senators seeks to increase funding for state and local transit funding to help add new routes, increase service frequency, and prevent service cuts.
The “Moving Transit Forward Act” was introduced Dec. 11, and is sponsored by Sens. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) and John Fetterman (D-Pa.). Eight other Democrats are co-sponsors. It seeks to create Department of Transportation grants for operating costs and capital projects that would cover cost increases, allow for additional service, or address projects that increase safety.
“This bill will help ensure that transit agencies have the resources they need to provide consistently safe and efficient service to the millions of Americans who depend on public transit every day,” Van Hollen said in a press release. Fetterman, noting that Philadelphia’s SEPTA and Pittsburgh Regional Transit are using funds diverted from capital programs for operations, said “it’s more important than ever that we step up to provide [agencies] with the support and reliable funding they need to deliver for our communities.”
Van Hollen introduced legislation under the same name in 2024; while hearings were held by the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs, the bill failed to advance out of committee.
The latest bill is supported labor groups including the Transportation Trades Division of the AFL-CIO, the Amalgamated Transit Union, Transport Workers Union, International Association of Sheet Metal, Air, Rail, and Transportation Workers-Transportation Division, the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers, and the American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees.
— To report news or errors, contact trainsnewswire@firecrown.com.
Don’t forget the latest Duffy boondoggle $1 Billion for the Friendly Family Flying initiative! WASTE!!!
There was another thread on these pages that is probably done now or else buried deep among the older articles. The person posting (I don’t recall the name) suggested that airports are heavily tax subsidized.
That brings up a question. Who pays for these airports? Certainly the gigantic capital costs are front-loaded by the taxpayers in the hopes of recuperating from user fees. Operational costs are also enormous. So if I buy a $400 ticket from an airline, pay $18.00 per day to park, and buy an overpriced meal from an airport concession, some fraction of each purchase supports the airport. But it seems that the airport is so expensive to build and operate I can see why people assume there’s a tax subsidy. ATC and TSA also need to be paid by somebody, tax or user fees. Add to that policing. TSA secures that airplanes but local police agencies secure the airport. In the case of MKE, which I fly in and out of, it’s the Milwaukee County Sheriff.
I actually don’t know anything about airport budgets but I do know something about public entity financing b/c I read the newspaper. Milwaukee County is chronically in financial trouble and getting worse. Milwaukee County sits on the verge of bankruptcy. Milwaukee County owns two airports, both of them in the City of Milwaukee, MKE General Mitchell International for the airlines and Timmerman Field for general aviation. If either or both were a drain on the county’s rapidly emptying coffers, don’t you think we’d know by now? The county sheriff patrol has been cut to the bone but somehow there’s money to pay for the dozens of commanders and deputies that it takes to keep the airport safe. I can only conclude that the two airports are self-supporting or maybe even run at a profit.
Dear Mr. Landey —
I was the commentator who wrote the post about billions of dollars in private airline subsidies. You can re-read my post under two, recent News Wire articles titled —
“AMTRAK UNION WORKERS RECEIVE $900 BONUSES” and
“SEVEN BILLION REASONS FOR AMTRAK TO RETHINK IT’S SUPERLINER PLAN”
Both posts outline the unequal and unfair subsidies given to the private airlines and not given to the private railroads.
Well transit can siphon from the same source (the Treasury) as the bankrupt highways use to procure dollars for their endlessly expanding network. What’s that up to now??? Over $200 Billion??
As Ann Landers would say, “Wake up and smell the coffee”. To which I say, “Wake up and smell the diesel fumes”. I don’t know if the federal role in local transit will maintain at its current level. But I do know this: It isn’t going to increase.
Public transportation is in deep, deep trouble in this country. I have no clue how the various local transit authorities are going to balance the books. But I’m here to tell you this: it won’t be from more federal funding.
State and local taxes are maxxed out. The taxpayers aren’t going to want to pay more. The federals print money so Washington doesn’t need to tax. Federal grants count as “revenue” in balancing state and local budgets. Which is what I call accounting fraud.