RSI Urges the White House and Congress to Provide an Additional $10 Billion in Public Transit Funding in Build Back Better Act

This week, RSI joined a broad coalition of industry associations and partners in sending a letter to Congressional leadership and Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg urging Congress and the Administration to provide at least $10 billion of additional public transit funding in the reconciliation bill, the Build Back Better Act. The letter also urges Congress to provide a source of dedicated high-speed rail funding in the bill.

Click here to read our letter to Congressional leaders and here to view our letter to Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg.

Letter to Congressional Leadership:

Dear Chairman DeFazio, Chairman Brown, and Chair Cantwell:

We write to strongly urge you to provide at least $10 billion of additional public transit investment in the reconciliation bill, the Build Back Better Act, pursuant to S. Con. Res. 14. We also urge you to provide significant, dedicated high-speed rail funding in the bill. Together, these bold investments in public transportation in the Build Back Better Act will enable us to tackle climate change, advance equity, and meet the growing and evolving mobility demands of our communities.

Providing this additional $10 billion of public transit funding will honor the commitment of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Framework agreed upon by President Biden and Senate Republicans on June 24, 2021. The Bipartisan Infrastructure Framework included an additional $49 billion of new investment for public transit. The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), as passed by the Senate, includes $39 billion of new investment for public transit. We urge Congress to honor the agreed-upon Framework funding levels and provide at least $10 billion of additional public transit funding in the reconciliation bill. We also urge Congress to provide significant, dedicated funding to construct high-speed rail in the United States. Investments in both of these funding streams must include strong labor protections for the workers who will build, operate, and maintain these systems.

These bold investments in public transportation in the Build Back Better Act will enable us to tackle climate change, advance equity, and meet the growing and evolving mobility demands of our communities. Investing in public transit and high-speed rail will significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions, improve air quality and public health, and help transform our nation’s transportation network for a sustainable future. According to the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, a typical public transit trip emits 55 percent fewer greenhouse gas emissions than driving alone. Moreover, public transportation creates access to opportunities, including jobs, health care, and education, which can help our communities address the equity challenges that they face.

Thank you for your long-standing leadership and commitment to investing in America’s public transportation. We look forward to working with you on the reconciliation bill and urge you to use this once-in-a-generation opportunity to provide the public transportation investments necessary to address our nation’s climate and equity challenges and build back better.

Sincerely,

American Public Transportation Association
Amalgamated Transit Union
American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy
American Institute of Steel Construction
American Planning Association
American Train Dispatchers Association
Association of Metropolitan Planning Organizations
Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen
Brotherhood of Maintenance of Way Employes
Brotherhood of Railway Signalmen
The Bus Coalition
Capital Investment Grants Working Group
Community Transportation Association of America
Environmental and Energy Study Institute
Environmental Law & Policy Center
Interlocking Concrete Pavement Institute
International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers
International Brotherhood of Teamsters
International Union of Operating Engineers
League of American Bicyclists
National Association of City Transportation Officials
The National Campaign for Transit Justice
National Conference of Firemen & Oilers District of Local 32BJ/SEIU
National Precast Concrete Association
National Ready Mixed Concrete Association
National Steel Bridge Alliance
National Utility Contractors Association
Natural Resources Defense Council
New Urban Mobility Alliance
North American Bikeshare & Scootershare Association
North America’s Building Trades Unions
Portland Cement Association
Professional Aviation Safety Specialists, AFL-CIO
Rail Passengers Association
Railway Supply Institute
Safe Routes Partnership
Sierra Club
Steel Manufacturers Association
Teamsters Rail Conference
Transport Workers Union of America
Transportation for America
Transportation Trades Department, AFL-CIO
U.S. PIRG
United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners of America
The United States Conference of Mayors