A letter signed by 32 Democratic senators was recently sent to Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Transportation, Housing and Urban Development members urging them to reconsider eliminating the Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery (TIGER) program.
On July 17, the House Committee on Appropriations eliminated the program from its Fiscal Year 2018 Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies Appropriations bill.
The letter was addressed to subcommittee Chairwoman Susan Collins (R-ME) and Ranking Member Jack Reed (D-RI).
“Not funding TIGER would disregard the vast bipartisan support for this high impact, cost effective, and competitive program which leverages private, state, and local investment,” the letter said. “It would also hurt states, local governments, ports, and transit agencies throughout America working to solve complex multimodal transportation challenges.”
The program creates jobs while boosting local economies and improving infrastructure, the letter said.
The letter urged the subcommittee to include robust funding for TIGER in the Senate’s Fiscal Year 2018 Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies Appropriations bill.
Established in 2009, TIGER has awarded $5.1 million to 421 projects throughout the nation and its territories.
Demand is greater than the available funds. The program has received at least 7,300 applications seeking more than $165 billion.