In a statement on Monday, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said President Joe Biden’s 2025 budget will improve the lives of Americans across the country.
Buttigieg said the budget follows historic progress made during the Biden’s time in office so far – creating nearly 15 million jobs and reducing inflation by two-thirds. The current budget proposal, Buttigieg said, lowers costs for working families, protects and strengthens social security and Medicare, invests in America and reduces the deficit by cracking down on fraud and cutting spending.
“President Biden’s Budget allows us to continue advancing vital work underway across the country – making travel safer on every mode of transportation, strengthening supply chains to keep costs down, and modernizing our infrastructure to serve Americans for generations,” Buttigieg said. “Americans are already seeing the roads being repaired, new bus and bike infrastructure being built, goods moving more smoothly from ships to shelves, and more – and this budget will accelerate all of that.”
Biden’s budget request include $109.3 billion for the U.S. Department of Transportation to make critical and targeted investments including $21.8 billion for the Federal Aviation Administration to continue the hiring and training of at least 2,000 new air traffic controllers; $3.6 billion to sustain the National Airspace System; and $8 billion over five years to invest in aviation safety, efficiency and facilities. The budget would also close the corporate jet funding loophole that address the discrepancy between commercial airline passengers who pay a 7.5 percent tax on their tickets plus a passenger facility charge of up to $4.50, while private jets pay only a fuel surcharge of roughly 22 cents per gallon of jet fuels. The proposed budget would increase private jet funding to $1.06 per gallon.
The budget also includes $62 billion for the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) to modernize and improve American roads and bridges, support state safety programs and help communities carry out infrastructure projects. The request represents an increase of more than 30 percent compared to 2021. The request also recommends $3.2 billion for the Federal Railroad Administration, and $16.8 billion for the Federal Transit Administration.