Source: US DOT

 The Biden-Harris Administration today submitted to Congress the President’s Budget for fiscal year 2022. As the Administration continues to make progress defeating the pandemic and getting our economy back on track, the Budget makes historic investments that will help the country build back better. 

 

The Budget prioritizes the Secretary’s key principles: ensuring safety; fostering economic strength and  good-paying American jobs; creating equitable access to opportunity; tackling the climate crisis and making our infrastructure more resilient; and transforming our nation’s infrastructure. 

  

“This budget reflects our Administration’s priorities, and responds to our country’s needs,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg. “It will start giving America the tools to get back to work, modernize our infrastructure, combat the climate crisis, and build equity into our transportation system so everyone can get around safely and affordably.” 

 

The FY 2022 President’s Budget also includes the President’s American Jobs Plan, which will transform our crumbling infrastructurecreate millions of jobs, strengthen our economy and finally address long needed investment in our roads and bridges, railways, aviation, and ports. The American Jobs Plan would invest an additional $621 billion in transportation infrastructure and resilience 

 

At USDOT the President’s FY 2022 Budget $88 billion request would:

 

Expand transit and increase support for low and no emissions transit. To help provide more equitable transportation and address the climate crisis this year’s budget calls for $13.5 billion for transit including: $2.5 billion for Capital Investment Grants – a $459 million increase — to accelerate transit system projects underway and to support new projects that are ready to move through the approval pipeline, and $550 million for Transit Infrastructure Grants – of which $250 million will support the popular Zero Emission Bus Program.  

 

Increase support for Amtrak and create a new competitive program to modernize, develop and expand passenger rail service. In order to create more modern, reliable and accessible intercity passenger rail, this year’s budget proposes $2.7 billion for Amtrak – a 35% increase in financial support for the railroad that will accelerate track renewal, renovate aging stations, refresh the existing capital fleet, and address maintenance needs throughout the system. It also propose$625 million for a new competitive Passenger Rail Improvement, Modernization, and Expansion program – known as PRIME Grants – to modernize and develop passenger rail service and expand existing rail corridors throughout the country. This funding is a down payment on the $20 billion that the American Jobs Plan would provide to expand passenger rail.  

 

Strengthen the Department’s work to create a more equitable transportation system for all Americans. To advance the Department’s goals of creating a more equitable transportation system this year’s budget would invest $110 million to create a new Thriving Communities program that will establish a new office to support communities with eliminating persistent transportation barriers and increasing access to jobs, school, and businesses. The American Job Plan would provide $5 billion to fund this program. The budget also proposes boosting the budget of the Departmental Office of Civil Rights by 30% to support oversight of both internal and external civil rights programs, including the Disadvantaged Business Enterprise program. 

 

Increase safety on the nation’s roadways. To advance our commitment to ensuring the safety of all road users this year’s budget proposes $1 billion for the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to support the Agency’s core safety programs and activities. This includes a $50 million increase for Vehicle Safety Programs, to advance the equitable development and implementation of safe vehicle technologies, keep pace with the rapid innovation in vehicle electronics and automated driving systems, and ensure the safety of alternative-fuel vehicles. The American Jobs Plan would invest an additional $20 billion in safety including increases to existing safety programs and a new “Safe Streets for All” program to fund State and local “vision zero” or other similar plans to reduce crashes and fatalities, especially for people walking and biking.  

 

Ensure safe and more sustainable aviationThis year’s budget proposes $18.5 billion for the Federal Aviation Administration, including $11.4 billion for operations, $17.4 million of which would strengthen Aviation Safety Oversight and begin addressing the requirements of the Aircraft Certification Safety and Accountability Act. It also proposes $1 billion to improve the physical condition of FAA facilities that house the workforce and technology at the heart of the FAA’s air traffic control system. In keeping with the Biden-Harris Administration’s goal to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 50% by 2030 this year’s budget proposes $88.5 million for clean climate research activities to reduce the impact of aviation on climate change and air quality.  

 

Support the creation of modern American infrastructure. This year’s budget calls for $1 billion for the Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity (RAISE) grants – formerly known as TIGER/BUILD Grants – to assist localities that are undertaking innovative infrastructure projects. The American Jobs Plan calls for significantly increasing the funding available for the popular and oversubscribed RAISE and INFRA programs, as well as creating a $25 billion Transformative Projects Fund for projects that are too large, complex or innovative to fit within existing programs.  

 

The USDOT budget also provides more detail on the proposals included in the President’s American Jobs Plan than had been previously releasedThe President’s plan invests an additional $621 billion in transportation infrastructure and resilience: 

 

  • Within this amount, $540 billion would reside in the Department of Transportation for its programs allocated over a five-year period, and is in addition to the base amounts included in the FY 22 Budget request.  
  • Separately, the American Jobs Plan also provides $50 billion to make our infrastructure more resilient of which $7.5 billion would be provided to the Department of Transportation. 
  • In addition to details on investments in core assets, the budget provides detail on multiple new transportation programs, including but not limited to: 
  • Community Transportation Block Grants 
  • Safe Streets for All 
  • Build a National Electric Vehicles Charging Network  
  • Advanced Research Projects Agency-Infrastructure (ARPA-I)  

 

For more information on the USDOT’s portion of the President’s FY 2022 Budget and the USDOT’s portions of the American Jobs Plan, please visit: https://www.transportation.gov/mission/budget/fiscal-year-2022-budget-highlights