President Trump's proposed "skinny" budget could devastate public transit--and the millions of Americans who depend on it for safe, reliable, convenient, and affordable transportation. Here's an overview of what's at risk if Congress follows the President's spending blueprint:
The number of jobs at risk thanks to President Trump’s proposed budget cuts. Those jobs include 502,000 construction jobs plus another 300,000 jobs associated with increased economic productivity driven by public transit investment.
The potential loss in economic output resulting from these proposed public transit cuts. Public transit investment pays off in the form of economic growth — growth that will be curtailed by a severe reduction in federal funding.
Proposed cuts to the “New Starts” program would immediately jeopardize 53 public transit projects that are already underway in 23 states. Bus and rail projects in large and smaller cities could be scaled back or potentially eliminated because of proposed budget cuts.
Every single state has benefited from the competitive TIGER (Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery) discretionary grant program, which was launched in 2009. President Trump’s proposed budget would completely eliminate this popular and successful program.
President Trump has said he plans to invest $1 trillion in American infrastructure over 10 years, including public transportation. It makes no sense to commit to infrastructure improvements only to gut public transportation funding. The American people deserve better.
Each of these big numbers tells a different story, but together they paint a grim picture of lost jobs, economic damage, and broken promises.