What They Are Saying: Congress Must Act to Reverse Devastating Cuts to Federal Transportation Infrastructure Programs that Improve Safety, Lower Costs

State and local stakeholders tell Congress what’s at stake

WASHINGTON, D.C. – State and local transportation officials, national road safety organizations including AAA and MADD, consumer advocates, transportation workers and other stakeholders are calling on Congress to reverse massive cuts to transportation infrastructure programs caused by failing to renew the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law’s (BIL) nearly $37 billion in advance appropriations when it expired September 30.

Last month, U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation, released updated “Chopping Block” reports detailing the impact of these cuts to state and local transportation systems, roadway safety and economic development. When the law expired, states immediately lost more than 30 percent of their federal transportation funding.

“State departments of transportation depend on predictable federal investment to deliver safer, more reliable transportation systems and keep our economy moving. Continuing the Bridge Formula Program and advance appropriations transportation programs critical to individual states will help sustain progress on projects serving rural and urban communities alike. We urge Congress to work on a bipartisan basis to provide funding certainty and support states’ ability to address their transportation priorities.” – Executive Director Jim Tyman, American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials

“Four straight years of declining roadway deaths shows that sustained federal investment works. But today, states have less money to make our roads safe than they did last year because Congress didn’t extend the advance appropriations in the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) when that funding expired on September 30. If we are going to continue to make progress towards eliminating fatalities on our roads, states need continued federal investment that will help them deliver programs that save lives.” – Chief Executive Officer Jonathan Adkins, Governors Highway Safety Association

“The Transportation Trades Department, AFL-CIO, continues advocating alongside dozens of other labor, industry, and government associations in urging Congress to extend IIJA advance appropriations that have been delivering tens of thousands of transportation and infrastructure projects and supporting hundreds of thousands of jobs in your districts and states and across the country. We urge the Committees to find a path forward on providing advance appropriations for modes that received such funds under IIJA, so American workers can continue to build, maintain, and operate transportation systems and infrastructure that allow our national, state, and local economies to flourish.” – President Greg Regan, Transportation Trades Department, AFL-CIO

“The investments made by the bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) to improve roadway safety are working. After roadway fatalities surged during the COVID-19 pandemic…sustained federal investment in infrastructure safety improvements, behavioral safety programs, and data-driven enforcement has helped drive fatalities down for three consecutive years…This progress did not happen by accident. It reflects the importance of the investment Congress made in IIJA which provided a steady flow of resources to states and local communities to improve roadway safety and save lives. Reducing or delaying this funding now risks stalling or reversing that hard-won momentum.” – Letter from AAA, Advocates for Highway Safety, MADD and 18 other leading safety groups

“The IIJA demonstrated the value of providing transportation programs with a multiyear funding framework. Preserving that predictability is essential for agencies and communities making long-term decisions about infrastructure, service, and economic development. As Congress considers the next steps, the challenge is to ensure that transportation investments already underway–and the projects communities still need–are not lost to funding uncertainty. Continued federal commitment will be critical to maintaining progress toward a safer, more connected, and more reliable transportation network.” – American Public Transportation Association

“Transit and rail workers are losing work right now because of the lapse in infrastructure appropriations. Our members need certainty and strong federal investments to keep our transportation systems moving safely. Make no mistake – Congress failing to renew the advance appropriations is a job killer in every state. The TWU is calling on every member of the House and Senate to swiftly renew this funding.” – President John Samuelsen, Transport Workers Union of America (TWU) International

“Transportation funding directly impacts the safety of millions of Americans who rely on our nation’s roads every day. Communities across the United States have benefited from the historic bipartisan investments included in the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act to address local challenges and deliver critical safety improvements. Extending advanced appropriations is vital to sustain the effectiveness of needed safety grants, including the Safe Streets and Roads for All grant program, which is proven to save lives.” – Chief Executive Officer Lorraine Martin, National Safety Council

“For consumers, bringing home the bacon requires a modern, reliable network of roads, rail, transit, pipelines, waterways, and airports. Building and maintaining that world-class infrastructure requires sustained investment. Just five years ago, the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law provided transformational funding to modernize America’s infrastructure, meet the needs of the 21st-century economy, and improve affordability. Today, lawmakers face a stark choice: let that progress stall or double down on the infrastructure investments needed to lower costs and strengthen American competitiveness. Senator Cantwell’s findings show that robust infrastructure investment is the right choice for American families.” – Senior Director of Consumer Protection and Product Safety Daniel Greene, National Consumers League        

“Impaired driving remains one of the leading causes of fatalities and injuries on our nation’s roads, and every one of those deaths and injuries are preventable. States must be able to rely on steady funding for impaired driving prevention programs, enforcement efforts, and crash data. Advance appropriations give states that certainty. MADD urges Congress to restore this funding so critical work to save lives and prevent injuries continues.” Chief Executive Officer Stacey D. Stewart, MADD

“The Senate Commerce Committee’s ‘Chopping Block’ reports illustrate how cuts to Bipartisan Infrastructure Law funding will halt investment and innovation across the country. States are using the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI) program funding to build EV charging stations, create good-paying jobs, and make driving electric more convenient. This is especially important for EV charging in rural communities, which are often overlooked by private investment. With more than 1,000 NEVI project awards already issued, Congress must ensure that states continue to make progress with the investments levels set in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. Extending and fully funding the advance appropriations, including NEVI, is essential for completing a nationwide charging network and delivering cleaner, more affordable, and more reliable transportation for all.” – Clean Transportation for All Campaign Director Katherine Garcia, Sierra Club

“The Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance (CVSA) strongly supports continuing to fund critical state commercial motor vehicle (CMV) safety and enforcement programs at the levels established in the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. The Motor Carrier Safety Assistance Program (MCSAP) received an additional $80 million per year in advanced appropriations, allowing the states to grow their CMV enforcement and safety programs, including the hiring of new inspectors, auditors and investigators. Experiencing an estimated 16% decrease in funding will result in halting that growth when programs are demonstrating positive impacts on roadway safety.” – Executive Director Collin Mooney, Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance

“Motor vehicle crashes are a leading cause of death and injury for families in every state. Kids and Car Safety is committed to reducing the unacceptable economic and emotional toll of this major public health problem by advancing safer cars, safer drivers, and safer roads. We cannot prevent crashes, deaths and injuries by withholding lifesaving technology from cars or funds for needed roadway improvements and repairs.” – Executive Director Amber Rollins, Kids and Cars Safety   

“Passenger rail projects take years to plan and execute. Stable, predictable federal funding is essential to maintaining momentum, maximizing taxpayer investments, and building a stronger, more connected national passenger rail network.” – Chair Jeremy Latimer, States for Passenger Rail Coalition

“Ohio’s cities and towns have little or no useful passenger rail service today, and advance appropriations are critical in the effort to change that. Letting them lapse would cut more than $218 million from Ohio’s transportation formula funding next year alone, and federal rail funding nationwide would fall by more than 80 percent. We urge Ohio’s congressional delegation, on both sides of the aisle, to extend advance appropriations before December 11.” – Chair of the Board of Directors Mitch Radakovich, All Aboard Ohio

“The Florida Coalition of Rail Passengers urges Congress to include multiyear advance appropriations for passenger rail in the next surface transportation reauthorization. Appropriating funding for future fiscal years gives states and rail suppliers a firmer basis for commitments that extend beyond a single annual budget. Railcar production and infrastructure construction require years of planning and investment. Predictable federal funding helps manufacturers expand facilities and train workers, while enabling states to plan their own financial participation. The Railway Supply Institute identifies this funding certainty as essential to investment in American manufacturing capacity.  Dependable federal support for infrastructure, equipment and service startup would strengthen Florida’s incentive to commit its own resources and pursue additional passenger trains, including expanded Amtrak service. Multiyear advance appropriations would give public agencies and private suppliers greater confidence to make the commitments these improvements require.” – President James Tilley, Florida Coalition of Rail Passengers

The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) provided, for the first time, five years of guaranteed funding for federal transportation programs. The law spurred more than 140,000 transportation infrastructure projects across the country. The BIL expired on October 1, 2026, and without renewal, $36.8 billion in vital federal investments in freight infrastructure, mega projects, bridges, airports and seaports, passenger rail, safe streets and downtowns will be eliminated, and thousands of infrastructure projects will go unfunded. The new reports detail the impact of these cuts to formula and non-formula transportation funding programs for each state, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico.

On September 2, President Trump signed the Continuing Appropriations and Extensions Act (H.R. 6500) funding the government through December 11. While Congress extended surface transportation programs, it did not renew the BIL’s advance appropriations. Sen. Cantwell released her original Chopping Block reports on May 13, 2026. They looked at three key areas within our transportation ecosystem – freight, America’s main streets and rail:

• American Freight Infrastructure: The United States freight transportation system moves $18.7 trillion in goods every year. It’s estimated that U.S. businesses spent $2.6 trillion last year on logistics costs.Multimodal freight investments have significant returns on investment, including improving efficiency and reducing shipping costs. Driving these transportation costs down is critical to reducing prices for American consumers and helping American businesses compete against international companies. However, if advance appropriations are not renewed, funding will decrease by 67 percent for four essential freight programs that could support hundreds of projects still in need of federal funding. U.S. Freight Infrastructure on the Chopping Block examines the benefits of the BIL’s freight investments and what is at risk for supply chains if a multiyear investment strategy is abandoned. 

• Local Economic Development Infrastructure: From small towns to large urban centers, the nation’s downtown districts are essential economic hubs that provide employment opportunities, access to essential services and form the building blocks of successful regional economies. The BIL provided significant support for local improvement projects through grant programs that allow local governments to apply directly for federal funds—this is critical since only 16 percent of federal highway formula funds reach local roads. If advance appropriations are not renewed, funding for three popular grant programs that support local economic development will decrease by 90 percent. American Main Streets on the Chopping Block examines what is at risk for essential business districts if a multiyear investment strategy is abandoned. 

• American Rail Infrastructure: Freight rail carries 29 percent of U.S. ton-miles of commodities, including shipments moved via multimodal networks. In 2025,  Amtrak carried 34.5 million passengers—an all-time record. Amtrak serves 40 percent of America’s small and rural communities, and almost one in every five Amtrak riders travel to or from a station with no access to air service. The BIL provided $66 billion over five years to enhance passenger rail routes, strengthen supply chains and improve safety near the tracks. If advance appropriations are not renewed, funding for four essential rail programs will decrease 83 percent. American Rail on the Chopping Block examines the benefits of the BIL’s rail investments and what is at risk for businesses, passengers and local communities if a multiyear investment strategy is abandoned.

On May 13, 2026, Sen. Cantwell also led a letter to appropriators from all Democratic senators demonstrating the significant need for continued infrastructure investment and warning of the magnitude of harm if funding is abandoned.

The new State-by-State reports (including D.C. and Puerto Rico) are HERE.

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