House THUD Draft
There does not appear to be any TIGER/BUILD/whatever the flavor of the month grants in the draft.
Prohibits funds for California High-Speed Rail.
The bill has $423 million for essential air service
$288,203,000 for FRA administration expenses
$45,879,000 for Rail Research, $298,525,000 for CRISI ( a marginal improvement of FY2024 grants of $198,957,997 but still way short of the authorized amount)
$1,002,115,000 for the NEC, which is 87.79 % of what was approved for FY2024 (1,141,442,000)
Up to $5,000,000 was earmarked for the NEC Commission, a huge improvement over the 91% cut from this committee last year.
$1,123,111,000 for the remainder of the National System which is 87.3% of the $1,286,321,000 appropriated for FY2024. $3,000,000 earmarked for the State Supported Routes Commission, Also an improvement over the original FY2024 THUD Draft.
No new money for Federal State Partnership for Intercity Passenger Rail.
A provision in section 153 of the draft bars the use of existing advance appropriations for Federal-State Partnership for Intercity Passenger Rail to be used for items under section 24911(g) of Title 49 US Code. section 155 earmarks $15 million of Federal State Partnership for Washington Union Station.
FTA Formula Grants increased to $14,279,000,000 from $13,990,000,000 in the current fiscal year.
Transit Infrastructure Grants reduced to $115,638,210 from $252,386,944 in the current fiscal year.
Capital Investment Grants slashed to $754.733,000 from the current $2,500,000,000. That’s only 30.19% of the current figure.
Washington Metro has received the same $150 million since the Lincoln Administration (snark).
Overall, the House Appropriators have realized that the huge cuts proposed last year were too extreme even to form a negotiating position. They became easier to defeat. The less extreme cuts proposed may be more difficult to fight, as they appear, in contrast to FY2024 House THUD, to be more reasonable.