Increase in Federal Highway Funds, Cuts to Maritime, FAA Proposed In House Transportation Spending Bill
The House Appropriations Committee’s fiscal year 2014 transportation spending bill, released June 18, includes a boost in federal highway spending but cuts to nearly every other section, including a $25 million decrease for the Maritime Administration, more than $700 million from the Federal Aviation Administration and no funding for high-speed rail. In a statement, Committee Chairman Hal Rogers, R-Ky., said the bill meets fiscal constrains while maintaining funding, “making the best use of limited tax dollars by focusing investments on transportation infrastructure critical to our economy … while reducing or eliminating funding for lower-priority programs.” According to a Committee statement (here) the bill includes:
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- $41 billion from the Highway Trust Fund to be spend on the Federal Highway program. This is the same level authorized in last year’s MAP-21 transportation bill, and a $557 million increase from fiscal year 2013.
- $326 million for the Maritime Administration, a decrease of $25 million below the fiscal year 2013 enacted level. “The bill will help promote U.S. commerce by providing funding to ensure the efficiency and safety of the nation’s ports and inter-modal water and land transportation,” the Committee said.
- $8.6 billion in state and local transit grant funding from the Mass Transit Account of the Highway Trust Fund
- $1.16 billion for the Federal Railroad Administration, a reduction of $468 million below the fiscal year 2013 enacted level.
- $11.8 billion for the Federal Aviation Administration, $756 million below the fiscal year 2013 enacted level and $103.3 million below the level caused by automatic sequestration cuts. The funding includes money for the Next Generation Air Transportation Systems, but does not include an Obama administration proposal for new passenger facility fees.
The bill will be marked up in subcommittee June 19. Read the subcommittee draft text (here).