The American Public Transportation Association (APTA) expressed support for President Joe Biden’s fiscal year (FY) 2023 budget request, citing its increased funding for public transit and passenger rail.
With a request of $13.6 billion for public transportation – a $607 million increase over FY 2022’s enacted level – and a $4.7 billion request for passenger and freight rail programs (a $1.3 billion increase from the previous year’s enacted level), APTA said the appropriations were needed investments into the country’s infrastructure.
“Providing the necessary investment to modernize our public transit and passenger rail systems will allow systems across the country to meet growing community demands for increased mobility choices that will reap economic and environmental benefits nationwide,” said APTA President and CEO Paul P. Skoutelas. “Combined with the advance appropriations in the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), the President’s FY 2023 budget request will provide historic and generational investments in public transportation that will enable our communities to provide access to opportunities and create family-wage jobs, advance equity, and tackle climate change.”
The budget request also includes $2.85 billion of Capital Investment Grants (CIG) program funding. Combined with Bipartisan Infrastructure Law funding, the funds will provide more than $4.5 billion for CIG projects in the coming year.
Also included in the budget request is $3 billion for Amtrak, a $669 million increase over the previous year. When combined with BIL funding, the President’s request takes Amtrak funding to $7.4 billion, including $5 billion for National Network grants and $2.4 billion for Northeast Corridor grants.