President-Elect Joe Biden is planning to nominate former presidential hopeful Pete Buttigieg to head the transportation department, according to published reports.
APTA President/CEO Paul P. Skoutelas released a statement praising the move.
The current authorization for federal transit assistance programs expires in September of this year.
Will work with Congress to identify a solution to fill the $261 billion gap between HTF revenues and proposed spending levels.
With funding continuing to be an issue for transit projects, some of the top voices in the industry discuss ways to bridge that gap.
He testified that federal public transportation policy must focus on the continued solvency of the Highway Trust Fund.
The program’s goal is to allow states to test user-based alternatives to support the Highway Trust Fund.
Although it is the first long-term surface transportation bill since SAFTEA-LU expired in 2009, which will give the industry a sense of security when planning, it still didn’t solve the most pressing issue — finding a sustainable funding mechanism.
Passed by a 363-64 vote, the bill calls for spending $261 billion on highways and $55 billion on transit over six years. As expected, the legislation authorizes highway funding for six years, but only if Congress can come up with a way to pay for the final three years.
However, according to U.S. PIRG, it is anticipated that the House will only provide funding for the first three years, requiring Congress to identify a new source of funding at the end of 2018.
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