The House Committee on Appropriations Subcommittee on Transportation & Treasury yesterday approved a spending plan for transportation programs that includes a reduction in spending for transit programs. Most elements of the trnasit program would receive increases under this plan. The major change is the 21% cut for the New Starts program.
New Starts earmarks were limited to projects with FFGA's in effect now and three (New York, Phoenix and Las Vegas) which are close to receiving FFGA's. The bill does not earmark the bus program, JARC or highway projects. It is expected those earmarks will appear in conference with the Senate later this year.
The committee approved measure would also cut Amtrak substantially while increasing highway spending.
Here is a chart comparing the House's proposed transit spending for fiscal 2005 with the fiscal 2004 levels.
| Program | FY 2004 Appropriation (Millions) | FY 2005 House Committee (Millions) | Change FY 2004 to FY 2005 (Percent) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Formula Total | $3,816.35 | $4,039.00 | 5.8% |
| ---UZA Formula | --(3,425.61) | --(3,633.25) | 6.1% |
| ---Rural Formula | --(239.19) | --(253.35 ) | 5.9% |
| ---Elderly and Disabled | --(90.12) | --(95.45) | 5.9% |
| ---Clean Fuels | --(49.71) | --(50.00) | 0.6% |
| ---Alaska Railroad | --(4.82) | --(4.83) | 0.1% |
| ---Rural Transportation Accessibility | --(6.91) | --(6.95) | 0.6% |
| Capital Investment | $3,138.87 | $2,852.65 | -9.1% |
| ---New Starts | --(1,315.98) | --(1,030.83) | -21.7% |
| ---Fixed-Guideway Modernization | --(1,199.39) | --(1,214.40) | 1.3% |
| ---Bus and Bus Facilities | --(623.50) | --(607.40) | -2.6% |
| Planning | $72.57 | $73.00 | 0.6% |
| Research | $52.69 | $53.00 | 0.6% |
| Job Access and Reverse Commute | $104.38 | $150.00 | 43.7% |
| University Centers | $5.96 | $6.00 | 0.6% |
| FTA Operations | $75.05 | $75.50 | 0.6% |
| Total All Programs | $7,265.88 | $7,249.15 | -0.2% |