Public Transit Officials are ‘Struggling to Understand’ Trump’s Proposed Cuts

Senior executives from transit agencies around the country said Monday they are perplexed by President Trump’s proposed cuts to federal grants aimed at funding transportation infrastructure and public transit projects — especially in light of his pledges to improve the quality of the nation’s rail systems.

Speaking at a news conference held by the American Public Transportation Association, Peter Rogoff, chief executive officer of Sound Transit in Seattle, said he is “struggling to understand” the disparity in the level of support given to public transit projects versus a federal rural roads investment program.

Trump’s budget — which will almost certainly be altered by Congress — proposes cuts as high as nearly $52 billion to transit-oriented grant programs like Capital Investment Grants and the Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery (TIGER) program, as well as funding for Amtrak and Washington’s Metro system.

Read the full article at https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/dr-gridlock/wp/2018/03/19/public-transit-officials-are-struggling-to-understand-trumps-proposed-cuts/?utm_term=.6d91cbcd8177