April 30, 2026
Dear Senator:
On behalf of our affiliated unions representing hundreds of thousands of workers who build, operate, maintain and protect our nation’s transportation networks, the Transportation Trades Department, AFL-CIO (TTD) urges you to sign the letter being circulated by Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA) requesting that America’s transportation programs continue to receive robust funding matching or exceeding Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) levels in the Fiscal Year 2027 Transportation, Housing, and Urban Development (THUD) appropriations bill.
Since 2021, the BIL has provided more than $36 billion a year in advance funding for transportation programs across America, supporting over 60,000 projects in every state and hundreds of thousands of jobs. Now, as these advance appropriations expire at the end of Fiscal Year 2026, we are at risk of undercutting the historic progress that these investments helped deliver for U.S. transportation and infrastructure systems, including roads, bridges, ports, railroads, public transit, and airports.
To carry forward these investments that benefit frontline workers and our transportation and infrastructure systems, we urge you to sign Senator Cantwell’s letter that encourages Senate THUD leaders to fund transportation programs at least at BIL levels in the FY 27 appropriations bill.
To sign this letter, please use this Quill link here or please contact Michael Davisson (Michael_Davisson@commerce.senate.gov) with Senator Cantwell before COB Friday, May 1st. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to reach out to TTD Policy Director Andrea Wohleber at andreaw@ttd.org.
Sincerely,
Greg Regan, President
Transportation Trades Department, AFL-CIO
******************************************************************
LETTER TEXT:
May 1, 2026
The Honorable Cindy Hyde-Smith
Chair
Subcommittee on Transportation, Housing, and Urban Development
U.S. Senate Committee on Appropriations
Washington, D.C. 20510
The Honorable Kirsten Gillibrand
Ranking Member
Subcommittee on Transportation, Housing, and Urban Development
U.S. Senate Committee on Appropriations
Washington, D.C. 20510
Dear Chair Hyde-Smith, and Ranking Member Gillibrand:
The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) made critical, historic infrastructure investments through advance appropriations funding to reduce the cost of shipping goods, support economic development, and improve safety. As you consider the Fiscal Year 2027 Transportation, Housing, and Urban Development Appropriations Bill, we urge you to support investments in our country’s entire transportation system. BIL provided $36.8 billion a year in advance funding for transportation programs over five years. The BIL has funded over 60,000 projects in every state to upgrade bridges, local roads, ports, railroads, public transportation, and airports. With the advance appropriations from the BIL expiring at the end of FY 2026, we must ensure that these programs continue to receive robust funding, at least at BIL levels, or risk cutting transportation investments to the lowest level in a decade when accounting for inflation.
According to the American Society of Civil Engineers, if Congress reverts to pre-BIL funding levels for infrastructure, it would cost the average American family more than $700 per year. This is the result of worsening congestion, increased vehicle repairs, lost economic productivity, and other negative impacts caused by underinvestment. Reverting to pre-BIL funding levels also jeopardizes approximately 237,000 American jobs by 2033. Even if Congress continues current levels of funding, the United States will still face a $1.2 trillion surface transportation infrastructure investment gap over a decade (2024-2033). Large transportation projects require long-term funding certainty. Drastic fluctuations in federal funding make it difficult for states, localities, and businesses to plan, leading to delays and increasing project costs.
Programs not funded through the Highway Trust Fund are most at risk of devastating cuts in FY 2027. For example, if programs receive the same amount of funding in the FY 2027 appropriations bill as they did in FY 2026, then:
- The Port Infrastructure and Development Program would see a 92 percent reduction in funding, despite significant demand for the program. In the last round of grant awards, 127 eligible projects seeking $2.3 billion were left unfunded.
- The MEGA grant program would have no funding, despite 80 percent of eligible applicants left unfunded in the last round of grant awards. For the combined FY25-26 Notice of Funding Opportunity, 82 eligible projects, requesting $21.2 billion were left unfunded.
- The Safe Streets and Roads for All Grant Program would have no funding, despite having supported nearly 2,000 communities’ planning and demonstration projects to identify projects to save lives on their roads. In the last round of grant awards, 594 eligible projects requesting $3.3 billion – three times the amount of funding available – were left unfunded.
- The Bridge Formula Program would have no funding, despite the over 41,000 bridges listed in poor condition on DOT’s national inventory. States will see an immediate $5.5 billion reduction in their ability to replace, rehabilitate, and construct highway bridges.
- The Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvement (CRISI) Program would see an 88% reduction, limiting its ability to support Amtrak, shortline freight railroads, and other rail projects across the country. During the last round of CRISI grant awards, 149 eligible rail projects, totaling 4.9 billion dollars in need, were left unfunded.
- The Capital Investment Grants program would see a 48 percent reduction in funding, despite 23 projects across the nation in the CIG program that could be ready for funding in FY 2027, which would significantly reduce federal support for major capital projects to improve and expand transit service.
- The Appalachian Development Highway System would see a 93 percent reduction in funding, despite the $15.2 billion needed to complete this vital backbone of rural connectivity.
Clearly, the demand and need for these programs remains high. As you consider Fiscal Year 2027 funding, we urge you to ensure robust funding is available for the whole transportation system. Reducing funding available for transportation programs by treating BIL as a onetime infusion will increase costs, cost us American jobs, and set our country back. We urge you to ensure that transportation infrastructure investments remain at least at BIL levels in the FY 2027 Appropriations bill.
Sincerely,
[[SIGNATURES]]