Statement on Surface Transportation Board’s expanded capacity
A statement from Transportation for America chairman and former mayor of Meridian, MS, John Robert Smith, on the Surface Transportation Board (STB)’s recently expanded capacity:
Release: Over 100 elected officials, cities, and organizations support $39.3 billion for transit
Over 100 elected officials, cities and organizations urge Congress to provide $39.3 billion in emergency funding for public transportation to preserve transit service through 2023
RELEASE: The emergency funding for transit and Amtrak is good but not enough
Late Monday evening, Congress passed appropriations for fiscal year 2021 that included $908 billion in a supplemental COVID-19 relief package. Transportation for America and our partners the Alliance for a Just Society, NRDC, and U.S. PIRG released this statement:
Over 160 elected officials and organizations support fundamental changes to the federal transportation program
In a letter to Congressional leadership, over 160 elected officials and organizations urge Congress to prioritize maintenance, safety over speed, and access to jobs and services in the next long-term transportation law
Transportation for America’s statement on Pete Buttigieg as Transportation Secretary nominee
Former South Bend mayor Pete Buttigieg has just been picked as President-elect Joe Biden’s nominee for Secretary of Transportation. Here is a statement from our director, Beth Osborne, on his selection.
“We are very excited to hear that Pete Buttigieg has been nominated to be Secretary of Transportation,” said Beth Osborne, director of Transportation for America. “As mayor of South Bend, he showed great commitment to the safety of all road users through Complete Streets and that Complete Streets were about economic development because they better serve local residents and businesses. For example, our sister organization, the National Complete Streets Coalition, worked directly with South Bend on a Complete Streets demonstration project focused on reducing speeding on a neighborhood street. As a candidate for president, he proposed a fix-it-first approach to highway funding, a national Vision Zero strategy, and measures to organize the federal transportation program around improving access to jobs and essential services for drivers and non-drivers alike. We look forward to working with him in his new post at USDOT.”
Over 30 members of Congress support equal funding for public transit and highways in a resolution led by Reps. García, Pressley, and Jeffries
Today, 30 members of Congress joined Representatives Jesús G. “Chuy” García (IL-4), Ayanna Pressley (MA-7), and Hakeem Jeffries (NY-8) in a groundbreaking resolution supporting equal funding for public transportation and highways.
Statement on the sudden passing of TTD president Larry Willis
A statement from Transportation for America’s director Beth Osborne on the death of Larry Willis, president of the Transportation Trades Department, AFL-CIO.
Playing politics with safety: “Anarchist” transit agencies caught in the crossfire
In blocking New York City, Portland, and Seattle from receiving Federal Transit Administration research grants, the Trump Administration is using arbitrary and politically-motivated pretext to deny cities and transit agencies the funding they need to make transit safer amidst the ongoing pandemic.
Transportation for America’s statement on surface transportation policy extension
Late last week, Congress and the President extended federal surface transportation policy for one year after failing to reform and reauthorize the program this year before its expiration on September 30. Transportation for America released the following statement:
Nationwide rally for emergency public transit funds in COVID-19 relief legislation
During a rally on Wednesday, four members of Congress and scores of transit riders, transit agency executives, and union representatives from coast to coast to make a powerful plea for Congress to provide at least $32 billion in emergency relief.