WASHINGTON — U.S. Rep. Hank Johnson (D-Ga.) on Friday introduced a bill that would provide $20 billion annually for the next four years to bolster public transit operating budgets.
The Stronger Communities Through Better Transit Act would create a grant program for projects that make “substantial improvements to transit service” by increasing routes and frequencies of buses and trains. It would also clearly define funding for “areas of persistent poverty” and “underserved communities.”
It is the third time Johnson has introduced a version of the bill. Legislation introduced in 2021 and 2024 died in committee.
The latest version, available here, would set the federal funding share for a project at no more than 50%. That would rise ot up to 80% for areas of persistent poverty and underserved communities, or 100% for programs for Indian tribes.
“This kind of funding is a game-changer for Atlanta and communities across the nation,” Johnson said in a press release. “Simply put, people could get to more places in less time using transit. Jobs, schools, and other daily destinations that previously took too long to reach would become more accessible. People would feel less strain on household budgets as their transportation costs shrink. They would have more time to spend with their families as time spent commuting falls.”
The Transport Workers Union and Transportation Trades Department of the AFL-CIO are among organizations supporting the bill.
“The federal government inexplicably funds transit capital investments without providing the operations funding to ensure that buses and trains can run safely, on time, and frequently enough to benefit working families,” TWU International President John Samuelsen said in the press release. “This bill would end a transit funding practice that doesn’t make sense and ensure that federal dollars can go toward transit operating expenses that improve service and ridership.” TTD President Greg Regan said that with the funding, “transit agencies would have the opportunity to increase service frequency, expand service areas, extend operating hours and overall improve the passenger experience.”
This bill doesn’t have a snowballs chance this day in time.
Maybe there needs to be an orderly phase-out of federal dollars for local needs.
There’s a very simple reason for federal aid for local needs. States and localities are required to “balance” their budgets. Feds are not. Feds can (and do) print money ad infinitum. In “balancing” a state or local budget, federal money, which is borrowed, counts as “revenue” to the states and locals. This is accounting fraud. It needs to stop.
Would my policy injure local transit? Yes it would be devastating. Many or most systems would go BK, which is one way to reduce salaries and benefits, and also to reduce pension payments to existing retirees. Bad news. But it needs to happen.