NATIONAL FACT SHEET: House Republicans’ Proposals Jeopardize Transportation Safety and Infrastructure

Congressional Republicans are holding the nation’s full faith and credit hostage in an effort to impose devastating cuts that would hurt communities, raise costs for hardworking families, and set back economic growth. House Republicans’ proposal would slash funding for programs the American people depend on in their everyday lives—including funding that’s vital for ensuring transportation safety and improving our country’s infrastructure. And they are demanding these cuts while separately advancing proposals to add over $3 trillion to deficits through tax cuts and giveaways skewed to the wealthy and big corporations. 

While the President’s Budget details a plan to invest in transportation safety and infrastructure, House Republicans’ proposal to cut a broad range of critical programs by 22% will: 

• Cut Rail Safety Inspections. At a time when train derailments are wreaking havoc on community safety, House Republicans’ proposal would lead toto nearly 7,500 fewer rail safety inspection days and over 30,000 fewer miles of track inspected annually—enough track to cross the United States nearly 10 times. Since the Norfolk Southern train derailment, bipartisan Senators have called for more rail inspections, not fewer. 
   
• Jeopardize Air Safety and Increase Airport Security Wait Times. The proposal would shut down services at 375 federally-staffed and contract Air Traffic Control Towers across the country—undermining safety at one third of all U.S. airports—and increase wait times at TSA security check points by over 2 hours at large airports across the country.  

In addition to the devastating impacts these cuts would have, Congressional Republicans’ plan would also clawback funding designated for critical transportation programs that would cost states across the country vital funding: 

• Withhold Vital Transportation Infrastructure Funding. Under the House Republican proposal, the United States would stand to lose nearly $5.2 billion in funding for transit and highway infrastructure projects all across the country. 

See below how these reckless cuts would impact Transportation in each state:

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