House Cuts Funding to Mass Transit

Bad news is brewing in Congress for public transportation.

The House of Representatives last Friday approved a plan that would slash mass transit funds. The House Ways and Means Committee passed a plan that would stop a provision in the Highway Trust Fund that dedicates 2.86 cents per gallon of the gas tax to mass transit.

Instead, the Mass Transit Account would be fueled with "undetermined funds."

Michael Melaniphy, president and CEO of the American Public Transportation Association (APTA), called the action a risk to mass transit.

"On behalf of the 1,500 members of...APTA and Americans who take more than 10 billion public transit trips annually, we are strongly opposed to the U.S. House Ways and Means Committee proposal to divert $25 billion in dedicated fuel tax revenues from the Mass Transit Account," said Melaniphy in a statement.

"This response represents nearly 50 percent of the federal investment in public transit authorized by the House surface transportation bill. This drastic change will clearly put public transportation projects at risk," continued Melaniphy.

Read more on surface transportation authorization bills here.