DeFazio, Norton Slam Trump Administration Efforts to Slow Down Transit Projects

Statement

Today, Ranking Member of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure Peter DeFazio (D-OR) and Ranking Member of the House Subcommittee on Highways and Transit Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) sent a letter to Secretary of the Department of Transportation (DOT) Elaine Chao, slamming the administration for creating new burdens and layers of bureaucracy designed to increase project costs, slow down project approval, and ultimately kill transit projects.

"Looks like the Koch Brothers sent DOT their instructions. The Trump administration is creating a bureaucratic nightmare, designed to create endless delays and massively increased costs for communities looking to solve congestion issues with new transit options or by expanding existing transit systems. DOT is flagrantly disregarding Congressional intent and mandates, and instead is carrying out the bidding of the anti-transit zealots who have tried to kill transit projects across the country. DOT needs to stop threatening commuters, thousands of American jobs, American manufacturing, and economic development and start following the law," said DeFazio.

"Millions of people use mass transit to commute in and out of cities every day, bolstering their economies and improving the overall wellbeing of the country. Yet, the Trump administration continues to stall on approving transit projects, to the detriment of states and localities that need to expand or maintain transit systems," Norton said. "DOT needs to clean up the bureaucratic mess it has created and get this critical funding to job-creating transit projects as soon as possible."

DeFazio and Norton cite a recent "Dear Colleague" letter sent by the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) to transit agencies that outlines new layers of bureaucracy that appear designed to add unnecessary delays, increase project costs, and add considerable uncertainty to the Capital Investment Grant program. The FTA letter also attempts to further disadvantage transit projects by proposing to treat TIFIA loans differently based on the mode of transportation. The Members also express concern over the administration's refusal to move forward with new transit projects despite available funding and clear direction from Congress.

Source