Statement on 2018 budget proposal: “Communities need a partner, not austerity measures”
![press release](https://t4america.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/Press-release-featured3.png)
Yesterday President Trump released his proposal for the fiscal year 2018 federal budget. Geoff Anderson, President and CEO of Smart Growth America, issued the following response.
Trump admin’s full budget proposal makes clear their intent to end federal support for transit construction
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The Trump administration released their full budget proposal for 2018, ending any possible uncertainty about their belief that highway projects are always inherently in the national interest, transit is explicitly a local concern, and leveraging greater local and state investment in transportation is not a trend to be encouraged.
South Carolina legislature overrides governor’s veto to increase state gas tax
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Last week the South Carolina legislature voted to override a veto from the governor to successfully raise the state’s gas tax and other fees to increase funding for state highway projects. South Carolina is the 29th state to raise new transportation revenues since 2012.
T4America is supporting arts and culture projects that tackle transportation issues
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How can cities and regions apply artistic and cultural practice to shape transportation investments planned for diverse and rapidly changing neighborhoods?
T4America has new grants available to help communities answer this question and more.
Avoiding a government shutdown, Congress moves to preserve TIGER and transit funding — for now
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In a budget deal to fund the government through the end of September, Congress partially accommodated the President’s requests for more defense and security spending, but ignored his requests to eliminate funding for TIGER, new transit construction, and other programs vital for building strong local communities.
Arts and culture are helping three cities transform neighborhoods in a positive way
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From new light rail systems to bus rapid transit lines, cities are planning major new transportation investments to spur economic development and better connect people to opportunity. But how can they ensure that these investments — often in diverse and quickly evolving parts of their cities — transform neighborhoods in a positive way by building social capital, supporting local businesses, and celebrating the stories, cultural history and diversity of existing residents rather than displacing them?
Two more states successfully raise taxes & fees to invest new dollars in transportation
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With action taken by Indiana and Tennessee in the last week, we’ve passed the tipping point — more than half of all states have successfully raised new transportation revenue since 2012.
Six metro areas selected to receive in-depth, hands-on assistance with performance measures
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T4America is proud to announce the six recipients of a new technical assistance program aimed at helping metro areas better measure and quantify the multiple benefits of transportation spending decisions.
Bolstering creative community engagement in the Nashville region
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Considering the enduring creative energy in Tennessee’s principal city, it’s no surprise that Nashville is deepening its commitment to engaging the community in creative ways, and integrating artists into community development and transportation projects.
[VIDEO] Training artists to collaborate with civic and municipal officials
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In cities across the country, artists are helping to solve civic problems. We recently held a great discussion about how some artists and cultural workers are being trained to collaborate effectively with cities to improve transportation planning and community development.
[VIDEO] The future of federal passenger rail funding
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After months of talk about investing in infrastructure, one of President Trump’s first acts on infrastructure was to propose eliminating funding for several crucial transportation programs, including long-distance passenger rail. We convened a small panel of experts to explain about the impacts on passenger rail and what interested advocates and local leaders need to know.
California prioritizing repair, transit investments, and walking & biking with new gas tax increase
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California could be the next state to raise new revenues to invest in transportation, and unlike most states doing so since 2012, CA lawmakers are prioritizing repair and pledging billions toward transit, safe streets for walking and biking, and an overall multimodal approach to solving the state’s transportation challenges.
162 organizations and local business and elected leaders from 30 states urge Congress to support TIGER & public transit funding
![](https://t4america.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/TIGER-New-starts-letter.jpg)
162 organizations, including elected state/local officials and chambers of commerce, sent a letter to House and Senate appropriators today urging them to preserve funding for competitive TIGER grants and the construction of new public transit service. Both are vital programs that support smart investment and also encourage local communities to raise their own funding to invest in their priority projects.
Trump admin moving to end transit construction program and TIGER immediately
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New documents released this week by the Trump administration make it clear that 2018 won’t be soon enough to eliminate funding for future transit construction and TIGER competitive grants — they want them gone now, in 2017.
T4America selected to lead national examination of creative placemaking in transportation
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We’re proud to announce that Transportation for America has been commissioned by ArtPlace America to undertake a rigorous national examination of creative placemaking in transportation to better understand how and where artists, designers, and cultural workers are collaborating with local governments and community partners to solve transportation challenges.
New Amtrak president supports the return of Gulf Coast passenger rail
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Though overshadowed by the President’s budget proposal to make deep cuts to passenger rail, there’s encouraging momentum for the opposite, including a commitment by Amtrak to restore long-distance service to the Gulf Coast, and the broader freight-dominated rail industry speaking out for the expansion of passenger rail service.
Seven things to know about President Trump’s budget proposal
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There is no good news for transportation in President Trump’s first budget request to Congress. We take a look beyond the headlines and unpack seven things you need to know about this first salvo in the annual budget-making
Trump’s budget will hurt local communities
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President Trump’s first budget request for Congress is a direct assault on smart infrastructure investment that will do damage to cities and towns of all sizes — from the biggest coastal cities down to small rural towns. Tell your representatives that this proposal is a non-starter and appropriators in Congress should start from scratch.
Talking about transportation in the Trump administration with the “CodCast”
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Beth Osborne, senior policy advisor for T4America, sat for an interview on one of the best-named podcasts around — The CodCast — to talk about the uncertainty of just what transportation means in the Trump administration.
President Trump’s budget request severely undercuts stated commitment to investing in infrastructure
![press release](https://t4america.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/Press-release-featured3.png)
Earlier today, President Trump released his budget proposal for FY 2018 that cuts the U.S. Department of Transportation’s discretionary budget by 13 percent, ends the popular TIGER competitive grant program, eliminates the New & Small Starts transit construction program, and terminates funding for long-distance passenger rail funding, among other notable cuts.