House Appropriations Committee OKs FY22 THUD Bill

Written by Marybeth Luczak, Executive Editor
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The House Appropriations Committee on July 16 approved the Fiscal Year 2022 Transportation, and Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies (THUD) funding bill of $84.1 billion, a more than 11% boost over 2021.

The bill includes an increase of $1.9 billion for the Department of Transportation (DOT) and $6.8 billion for the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). In total, the bill provides $162.6 billion in budgetary resources, a 19% increase above 2021.

For the DOT in FY 2022, the bill provides a total of $105.7 billion in budgetary resources, a 22% boost above both the FY 2021 enacted level ($86.7 billion) and the President’s 2022 budget request ($87 billion).

Among the DOT provisions:

$1.2 billion for National Infrastructure Investments (RAISE/TIGER/BUILD), a 20% increase from FY 2021. It includes $20 million for Transportation Planning Grants to assist areas of persistent poverty, a 100% increase over FY 2021. An additional $100 million is included for a new grant program to “spur thriving communities nationwide.”

 $4.1 billion for the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA), up 46% from FY 2021. This includes $625 million for the new Passenger Rail Improvement, Modernization, and Expansion (PRIME) grant program “to support projects that improve, expand or establish passenger rail service”; $500 million for the Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvements (CRISI) grant program, a 33% increase from FY 2021; $2.7 billion for Amtrak, a 35% boost over FY 2021, which includes $1.2 billion for Northeast Corridor Grants and $1.5 billion for National Network Grants.

Photo Credit: Amtrak/Marc Glucksman

• $15.5 billion for the Federal Transit Administration (FTA), including $12.2 billion for Transit Formula Grants to expand bus fleets and increase the transit state of good repair; $2.5 billion for Capital Investment Grants to construct more than 23 new transit routes nationwide, a 22% increase above the FY 2021 enacted level and equal to the President’s budget request; and $580 million for Transit Infrastructure Grants to purchase more than 300 zero-emission buses and 400 diesel buses, and to support “transformative research for transit systems,” which is a 12% increase above FY 2021.

• $61.9 billion for the Federal Highway Administration (FHA) for formula programs funded from the Highway Trust Fund that “improve the safety and long-term viability of our nation’s highway systems.”

• $886 million for the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) and $1.3 billion for the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) “to make trucks, cars, and the nation’s roads safer, consistent with the INVEST in America Act.”

• $1.3 billion for the Maritime Administration, more than 180% above FY 2021. It includes $318 million for the Maritime Security Program, $60 million to establish the Tanker Security Fleet program, $300 million for the Port Infrastructure Development Program (a 30% increase above the FY 2021 enacted level), and $320.6 million for schoolship construction and related shore-side infrastructure, which fully funds the fifth and final schoolship.

“The legislation provides the highest public transit and passenger rail annual funding in history,” according to the American Public Transportation Association (APTA). “The historic investment levels for public transit closely align with the funding levels authorized in H.R. 3684, the INVEST in America Act.”

Download APTA’s table of the public transportation and intercity passenger rail funding included in the THUD Appropriations bill:

APTA President and CEO Paul P. Skoutelas

Prior to Appropriations Committee approval, APTA President and CEO Paul P. Skoutelas praised the bill, saying that its “historic investment in public transit and passenger rail infrastructure will put the nation on a path to increase access to opportunities for all Americans and build more equitable communities, while also addressing the mobility, environmental and sustainability challenges facing our communities, nation and the world.

“We look forward to continuing to work with Congress and the Biden Administration to achieve our shared goal of meeting the growing and evolving mobility demands of our cities and communities. The time is now for transformational, once-in-a-generation public transit and passenger rail infrastructure investment and this bill is a great start.”

House Committee on Appropriations THUD Subcommittee Chairman David E. Price (D-N.C.)

“This year’s Transportation Housing and Urban Development funding bill is centered on building a more equitable future,” House Committee on Appropriations THUD Subcommittee Chairman David E. Price (D-N.C.) said. “It promotes housing stability by providing increased funding for rental assistance, expanding housing vouchers and prioritizing safety in public housing. The bill nearly doubles passenger and freight rail investment, solidifying our commitment to more sustainable travel while focusing on climate resilience and mitigation. The Fiscal Year 2022 Transportation-Housing Appropriations bill puts us on the right track to a better future, and I look forward to continuing to build on this progress.”

Appropriations Committee Chair Rosa DeLauro (D-Conn.)

“For far too long, our nation’s crumbling infrastructure has held America back,” Appropriations Committee Chair Rosa DeLauro (D-Conn.) said. “With this bill’s major new investments in transportation, including transit and rail, more than 125,000 new housing vouchers, and the modernization of public housing, we have made a long overdue investment in the future of America’s working families.”

The bill’s next stop: full House consideration.

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