The Biden administration on Thursday laid out each state’s share of $9.9 billion in funding for part of 2024 to support public transportation.
The funding, according to the White House, is set to be used by local communities to operate trains and buses, upgrade or plan new transportation infrastructure and more.
"When we invest in public transit, we improve daily life for millions of Americans across the country, and make it easier, safer, and more affordable to get around communities of every size," Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said in a statement. "The Biden-Harris administration is making the largest investment in public transit in U.S. history, including $9.9 billion announced today, to help communities improve public transit and expand it to reach more people than ever before."
This particular funding is set based on mandatory formulas. Based on the formula, New York, for example, is receiving just more than a billion dollars while California will get just less than $850,000,000 and Wisconsin will bring in just less than $50,000,000.
The administration billed the funding announcement as a part of the “largest investment in public transit in U.S. history” made possible by President Joe Biden’s “Investing in America” agenda and his Bipartisan Infrastructure Law based by Congress and signed by the president in 2021.
"The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law provides significant increases to transit funds across the country, from counties with just one van providing rides to systems operating hundreds of trains, buses, and ferries in the largest cities in America," Federal Transit Administration Acting Administrator Veronica Vanterpool said in a statement. "Communities depend on this funding to start new projects, fix old infrastructure, and bring more fast, safe, convenient service."
The administration notes the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law spends more than $91B on public transportation. Formula funding in particular is seeing a 30% increase from funding levels in 2016 through 2020.
The funds announced on Thursday reflect the administration’s allocation to states for five months of the fiscal year as the federal government has yet to pass a new budget for 2024 and continues to operate on short-term funding stopgaps called continuing resolutions. The Federal Transit Authority noted full-year funding figures will be released when Congress passes its spending bills.
With just days to go until part of the government is set to shut down on midnight Saturday without a new funding deal, Congressional leaders on Wednesday announced they reached an agreement on six spending bills, including the one that funds transportation. Leaders said they hope to pass a continuing resolution to push this week’s deadline as they work to finalize the full budget bills.