Senate Appropriations Committee approves transportation spending in FY 2025 budget

On Thursday, the U.S. Senate Appropriations Committee met for a full committee markup and approved appropriations for transportation in the fiscal year 2025 budget.

Totaling more than $98 billion in total discretionary funding, the 2025 Transportation, House and Urban Development and related Agencies Appropriations Act was passed by at 28 to 1 vote. The appropriations bill was one of four the committee approved, including Commerce, Justice, Science and Related Agencies, as well as State and Foreign Operations.

“It’s taken a lot of hard work to get here, but I’m pleased to say we have marked up another four strong, bipartisan bills, and we have shown once again that it is possible to make progress in a serious, bipartisan way when we bring solutions to the table, leave politics at the door, and listen to what folks back home are telling us about the programs and investments that make a difference in their lives every day,” U.S. Sen. Patty Murray (D-WA), chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, said. “I have emphasized throughout this process—and really as long as I have been in politics—that we cannot shortchange our families, we cannot shortchange our communities, we cannot shortchange our future.”

Included in the transportation appropriations was $110 billion in funding for the U.S. Department of Transportation, of which $28.6 billion is from discretionary funding. The DOT funding amount includes $22 billion for the Federal Aviation Administration, as well as $3.46 billion for the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) to strengthen rail safety and $17 billion for the Federal Transit Administration make capital investments into the country’s transit systems.

The bill also includes $550 million for the RAISE Grant program which, when combined with the $1.5 billion in Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act appropriations will provide $2.05 billion in total funding for 2025 for community investment into transportation infrastructure.

The bill provides $63.171 billion for federal-aid to highways, including $61 billion in funding from the Highway Trust Fund and an additional $1.1 billion for Highway Infrastructure Programs. And the bill allocated $401 million for the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration for pipeline safety and hazardous materials safety. And finally, the bill includes $1.14 billion for the Maritime Administration, $202 million more than in 2024, which includes $191 million for the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy, $178.4 million for State Maritime Academies and $200 million for Port Infrastructure Development Program.

“This bill makes important investments to strengthen our nation’s transportation infrastructure and address the housing crisis affecting so many people across the country,” U.S. Sen. Brian Schatz (D-HI), Chair of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies, said. “The funding in this bill will help make homes more affordable, reduce homelessness, improve air traffic safety, and reduce flight delays.”

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