The National Campaign for Transit Justice and partner organizations sent the following letter to the House and Senate appropriations committees and T-HUD Appropriations Subcommittees:
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Dear Senators Collins, Murray, Hyde-Smith, and Gillibrand, and Representatives Cole, DeLauro, Womack, and Clyburn:
As you begin the Fiscal Year 2027 appropriations process, we urge you to continue building on the progress made under the bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), particularly regarding programs that make transit more effective, affordable, and accessible to everyone.
Transit is essential to all communities – big, small, urban, and rural. Millions of people ride transit every day to access jobs, education, grocery stores, and health facilities. Transit riders include managers and workers, teachers and students, parents and children – people from all walks of life, including those who are too young, old, poor, or infirm to drive. These riders count on affordable and reliable transit to get them where they need to go, but far too often, that option is not available. A recent study of transit in cities around the world found that Americans have far less access to transit service than residents of many other countries.
When transit options are limited, communities lose economic opportunities. A paper in the Journal of Transport & Health, Public transport investments as generators of economic and social activity, highlights the importance of transit services, which are critical to serve the needs of people living in areas of persistent poverty, in rural or urban areas, and Black or brown communities.
We also ask you to reject efforts to claw back funds, via rescissions, that states and local governments are counting on to modernize infrastructure. Doing so would set back progress, harm local economies, and hurt your constituents.
We particularly urge you to fund the following programs:
Transit Programs
The study cited above found that America could achieve world-class transit across the country and in all states by significantly increasing our investment over the next 20 years. We must begin that process now. We ask that you include $32.2 billion to deliver world-class funding levels for public transportation programs in the FY2027 appropriations bill and make it available for both capital and operating needs. These programs are crucial for addressing ongoing shortfalls in mobility and access to opportunities. Low-income communities are more likely to rely on public transportation, yet those very communities are most often underserved, with infrequent and unreliable transit, which makes it more difficult for people to reach jobs, healthcare, and other services. This level of funding is essential to support communities in delivering the quality transit service their residents deserve. Funding the program at this level would set all urbanized areas in the United States on a trajectory toward service parity with our global peers that deliver high frequency, accessible, and economically productive transit service.
We want to call particular attention to the Capital Investment Grant (CIG) Program, which is the largest general-fund transit program and has often been subject to cuts in the budget process. This program funds the construction or expansion of new transit lines in both large and small communities, with project evaluation based in part on considerations such as the project’s contribution to economic development. As we confront high gas prices, unhealthy air, and continuing economic uncertainties, ensuring access to high-quality, frequent transit for all must be a priority. To fully make those services viable for all across the country, we must commit to the construction of world-class transit. We request that you include $8 billion for the CIG Program for FY 2027.
Healthy Streets Program
The Healthy Streets Program was created in IIJA with an authorization of $100 million annually. This program supports investments in our urban infrastructure and would fund projects that reduce flooding, improve air quality and mitigate the urban heat island effect within low-income neighborhoods and communities of color by providing grants to state and local governments, as well as nonprofits, to plant trees and deploy smart surfaces, such as reflective pavement in urban heat islands and porous pavement in flood prone areas. Since surface infrastructure materials in urban areas are traditionally selected based on lowest initial cost, most city surfaces are dark and impervious, absorbing roughly 90% of incoming heat and increasing water runoff and localized flooding. For this reason, cities are becoming increasingly hotter (the urban heat island effect), and more prone to flooding.
Urban heat islands pose a serious threat to public health, particularly for children, the elderly, people with respiratory illnesses, and those who work outdoors. High temperatures also intensify air pollution in cities by creating smog, a dangerous pollutant that can make it difficult to breathe, triggering asthma attacks and spiking emergency room visits. Addressing heat islands, reducing flooding and planting trees near pedestrian walkways and transit stops respects the dignity and comfort of all our people when using our transportation system. We request that you fund the Healthy Streets program at $100 million in FY 2027.
Reconnecting Communities
We strongly support efforts to reconnect communities, including a disproportionate number of underserved communities, that were previously cut off from economic opportunities by transportation infrastructure. Starting in the 1950s, federal highway funds were used to construct highways that removed homes and businesses of Black and Latino persons, leading to a freeway system that erected physical boundaries separating people and communities of color. The physical isolation of neighborhoods of color effectuated by federally-funded highways isolated Americans on the basis of race and national origin from public facilities, services, quality schools and access to jobs outside the impoverished boundaries of these segregated neighborhoods. Cities like New Orleans and Houston have seen their Black communities decimated by highways. This isolation has caused lasting harms in Black and Latino communities in particular. For example, homes and businesses in the impacted Black and Latino communities have vastly lower property value than white communities.
We request that you include $3 billion in the FY2027 appropriations bill, as called for in the REPAIR Infrastructure Act (S. 3413 and H.R. 6671), to continue the Reconnecting Communities Program. This funding will continue the progress that has been made repairing past harms to underserved Black and Brown communities that have been disproportionately disconnected from vital economic services due to highway construction.
Active Transportation Infrastructure Investment Program (ATIIP)
The Active Transportation Infrastructure Investment Program (ATIIP) facilitates the development and construction of safe, accessible walking, cycling, and public transportation routes. This investment will significantly improve the quality of life for millions of Americans, particularly those who cannot drive.
The provision of safe and accessible connections for walking and biking offers numerous advantages. It helps reduce pollution and alleviate traffic congestion by encouraging a shift to zero-emission transportation methods. Additionally, it meets the transportation and economic needs of smaller towns looking to establish better connections between communities. Moreover, establishing active transportation networks is essential to address increasing fatalities and serious injuries among pedestrians and bicyclists, making routine travel safer for everyone. Given the growing interest from communities nationwide in applying for these grants, we request that you allocate $200 million in FY2027 to continue the progress begun under IIJA.
Regional Technical Assistance Program
Communities across the United States face persistent challenges in accessing federal transportation funding to deliver transformative transportation infrastructure projects. Small, tribal, rural, and low-resourced communities in particular lose out on grants because they lack technical expertise, budgets, and staff capacity required to effectively compete for federal grants and navigate processes. Demand for assistance is high; for example, USDOT received 799 applications, requesting $789 million in assistance, for its August 2025 Rural and Tribal Technical Assistance Program NOFO, far more applications than can be funded from available resources.
The reauthorization of IIJA creates an opportunity to better address these barriers. Congress should redesignate the Rural and Tribal Technical Assistance Program as the Regional Technical Assistance program, expand it to include low-resourced communities beyond rural and tribal areas, direct that awards be made on a competitive basis, and focus it on building long-term local capacity. To support this effort, we request that you provide no less than $200 million for this program in FY2027.
Sincerely,
The National Campaign for Transit Justice, LeeAnn Hall
Transportation for America, Beth Osborne
America Walks, Mike McGinn
Natural Resources Defense Council, Shruti Vaidyanathan
Union of Concerned Scientists, Molly McKinley
National Association of City Transportation Officials (NACTO), Josh Naramore
League of American Bicyclists, Caron Whitaker
League of Conservation Voters (LCV), Darien Davis
Sierra Club, Katherine Garcia
10,000 Friends of Pennsylvania, Nicole Brunet
1000 Friends of Iowa, Kari Carney
1000 Friends of Oregon, Cassie Wilson
1000 Friends of Wisconsin, Trevor Roark
3 Feet Please, Steven Gerner
Activate St Pete, Max McCann
Active San Gabriel Valley, David Diaz
Active Transportation Alliance, W Robert Schultz III
Alabama Arise, Dev Wakeley
Battle Born Progress, Paula Luna
Better Eugene-Springfield Transportation (BEST), Rob Zako
Bicycle Advocates for Annapolis & Anne Arundel County, Jon Korin
Bicycle Alliance of Minnesota, Michael Wojcik
Bike Cleveland, Jacob VanSickle
Bike Durham, John Tallmadge
Bike HoCo – Bicycling Advocates for Howard County, Jack Guarneri
Bike JC, Beatriz Bofill
Bike Newport, Bari Freeman
Bike Walk Central Florida, Emily Bush
Bike Walk Greenville, Mary McGowan
Bike Walk Montana, Inc., Christopher W. Fox
Bike-Walk Alliance of New Hampshire, Paul Susca
Bike&Walk Montclair, Paul Mickiewicz
BikeLA, Eli Akira Kaufman
Bikemore, Jed Weeks
Brookhaven Bike Alliance, Marjon Manitius
Car-Lite Long Beach, Kurt Canfield
Catskill Mountainkeeper, Taylor Jaffe
Center for Neighborhood Technology, Miriam Savad
Central Indiana Cycling, Anthony Cherolis
Central Maryland Transportation Alliance, Brian O’Malley
Chesapeake Climate Action Network Action Fund, Quentin Scott
Citizens for Modern Transit, Kimberly Cella
Clean Air Council, Titania Markland
ClimatePlan, Lesley Beatty
Coalition Against the Mid-States Corridor, Mark Nowotarski
Coalition for Economic Justice, Anthony Gault
Coalition for Responsible Transportation Priorities, Colin Fiske
Coalition for Smarter Growth, Stewart Schwartz
Cola Town Bike Collective, Scott Nuelken
Conservation Law Foundation, Paulina Muratore
CT Advocates for Trees, Diane Hoffman
Denver Streets Partnership, Jill Locantore
Detroit Greenways Coalition, Todd Scott
Drive Electric RVA, Charles Gerena
East Coast Greenway Alliance, Niles Barnes
East Metro Strong, William Schroeer
Elders Climate Action, Roger Luckmann
Elders Climate Action Maryland, Frances Stewart
Elmont Cultural Center, Mimi Pierre Johnson
FairfaxForward, Hasan Dar
Faith Organizing Alliance, Justin Hopson
Families for Safe Streets, Thomas DeVito
Families For Safe Streets New Jersey, Sangeeta Badlani
Farm&City, Jay Blazek Crossley
Florida Bicycle Association, Richard Garrett
Foothills Rails to Trails Coalition, Breanna Fokes
ForeverGreen Trails, Larry Leveen
Genesis, Gamaliel Affiliate of the Bay Area, Mary Lim, J.D.
Grassroots Alexandria, Jonathan Krall
Great Basin Resource Watch, John Hadder
Greater Greater Washington, Kai Hall
GreenLatinos, Andrea Marpillero-Colomina
Grow Smart RI, John Flaherty
Hamden Alliance for Trees, Diane Hoffman
Hawai‘i Bicycling League, Eduardo Hernandez
Health by Design, Ashlyn Devine
Hudson Catskill Housing Coalition, Quintin Cross
Huntsville Urban Bike Share (HUBS) Coop, Jamie Miernik
Indigenous Voices of Nevada, Mathilda Miller
Institute for Policy Studies Climate Policy Program, Basav Sen
InterReligious Task Force, C Stonebraker-Martinez
JustEconomics, Seimy Mendoza
Law Office of Dennis M Grzezinski, Dennis Grzezinski
Living Streets Alliance, Vanessa Cascio
Local Motion, Inc., Christina Erickson
Madison Area Bus Advocates, Susan De Vos
Make the Road Nevada, Leo Murrieta
Malone Complete Streets Board, Boyce Sherwin
Marin County Bicycle Coalition, Warren Wells
MCAF & EcoMadres, Mary Wagner
Metropolitan Area Planning Council, Lizzi Weyant
Metropolitan Planning Council, Chicago, Audrey Wennink
Missourians for Responsible Transportation, Jackson Hotaling
MountainTrue, Susan Bean
Move California, Eli Lipmen
Move LA, Eli Lipmen
MOVE Ohio, Akshai Singh
Move Redmond, Kelli Refer
NAACP Reno Sparks Branch, Patricia Gallimore
Native Organizers Alliance, Judith LeBlanc
Nevada Environmental Justice Coalition, Jackie Spicer
New Haven Friends of the Farmington Canal Greenway, Aaron Goode
New Jersey Future, Peter Kasabach
Nikhil Badlani Foundation, Sangeeta Badlani
Nondrivers Alliance, Anna Zivarts
One Fair Wage, Fekkak Mamdouh
Open Plans, Sara Lind
Palmetto Walk Bike, Regan Freeman
Parks & Trails New York, Paul Steely White
Permanent Citizens Advisory Committee to the MTA (PCAC), Brian Fritsch
Philadelphia Solar Energy Association, Liz Robinson
Pittsburghers for Public Transit, Laura Chu Wiens
Planning and Conservation League, Matthew Baker
PODER, Antonio Díaz
Progressive Leadership Alliance of Nevada, Laura Martin
Propel ATL, Rebecca Serna
PSOB Bike Committee, Marsha Hanchrow
Rails to Trails Conservancy, Kevin Mills
Ready Set Bike, Maria Manitius
Reconnect Rochester, Cody Donahue
Remember Us Urban Legends, Miguel Tucker
Reno + Sparks Chamber of Commerce, Ann Silver
Ride for Your Life, Daniel Langenkamp
Ride Illinois, Dave Simmons
Riders Alliance, Betsy Plum
Rise and Resist Elevator Action Group, Jessica Murray
San Diego County Bicycle Coalition, Chloé Lauer
San Luis Valley Ecosystem Council, Christine Canaly
Seamless Bay Area, Adina Levin
Shared Mobility Inc., Shane Paul
South Pas Active, Casey Law
SPUR, Laura Tolkoff
St. Vincent’s Green Team, Bethany Gregg
Streets For All, Michael Schneider
StreetsPAC, Eric McClure
Sunrise Movement KC, Anthony Cunningham
Sustain Charlotte, Shannon Binns
Sustainable Mobility for Arlington County, Chris Slatt
Tempe Bicycle Action Group, Katie Boligitz
The Funders Network, Dion Cartwright
The People’s Lobby, Will Tanzman
The Street Trust, Lindsay Huber
The Transit Coalition, Bart Reed
Transbay Coalition, Carter Lavin
Transform, Abibat Rahman-Davies
Transit Choices, Robin Budish
Transit Columbus, Stevie Pasamonte
Transit For All PA, Connor Descheemaker
Transit Forward Philadelphia, Stephen Bronskill
Transportation Alternatives, Elizabeth Adams
Transportation Choices Coalition, Kirk Hovenkotter
Transportation Riders United, Megan Owens
Vermont Conservation Voters, Dan Fingas
Vermont Natural Resources Council, Kati Gallagher
Virginia Organizing, Brian Johns
Vision Zero Maine, Paul Drinan
Walk Bike Nashville, Wesley Smith
Walkable Arlington, Morgan Chivers
WalkMassachusetts, Brendan Kearney
WE ACT for Environmental Justice, Yosef Robele
West Line Corridor Collaborative, Michael Hughes
Wheat Ridge District 2, Rachel Hultin
Womxn From The Mountain, Renée M Chacon