Passenger Transport Express - 03/17/2017 (Plain Text Version)

HEADLINE NEWS

Trump's 'Skinny Budget' Proposes DOT Cuts

President Donald Trump released his administration’s “skinny budget” for Fiscal Year 2018 on March 16, proposing increases for military spending and cuts to many other programs, including those at DOT.

APTA Acting President & CEO Richard White said the association is disappointed that the budget proposals were announced at the same time the administration is calling for a $1 trillion infrastructure investment.

“The American economy and communities of all sizes would be losers if the proposed reductions in the FTA Capital Investment Grants, the TIGER [grant] program, and Amtrak are enacted,” White said. “As it stands now, America is already underinvesting in public transportation, as noted in the recently released American Society of Civil Engineers infrastructure report card. These proposed cuts would make the existing $90 billion of state of good repair gap even worse.”

Although Congress will take this proposal under advisement, the House and Senate will ultimately develop their own FY 2018 budget and spending bills to be signed into law.

Find APTA’s statement here.

APTA Wraps Up Legislative Conference

This week APTA held its 42nd annual Legislative Conference in Washington, DC. Participants from across the nation gathered to hear from FTA Executive Director Matt Welbes, Washington insiders, members of Congress, congressional committee staffers, local development experts and representatives of surface transportation coalition partners. Read more in the March 27 Passenger Transport. [return to top]

WMATA's Wiedefeld Meets with President on Storm Preparations

Paul Wiedefeld, second from right, general manager of the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority, met with President Trump March 13 in the Oval Office, with D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser and Tom Bossart, homeland security advisor, in advance of a severe East Coast winter storm. (Official White House Photo by Shealah Craighead)

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SAVE THE DATE

Coming soon: the APTA Bus & Paratransit Conference, May 7-10, Reno, NV, and the APTA Rail Conference, June 11-14, Baltimore. These are two opportunities for public transit professionals to learn from experts, network with their peers and discover the newest and most innovative products and services. For more information or to register, click here. [return to top]

IN THE MEDIA

Conference Makes News: The Washington Post reported on comments by WMATA General Manager Paul Wiedefeld and other public transit CEOs from the news conference held during the APTA Legislative Conference.

Transit as ‘Moon Shot’: Money magazine advises President Trump to make public transit his “moon shot,” citing new APTA research that finds 87 percent of all trips are related to the economy.

Quality Counts: Riders’ exposure to high-quality public transit in their 20s and 30s increases the likelihood they’ll continue using it even if they move to locations offering less or reduced service.

Humor Works: Watch this 60-second video from Halifax Transit letting riders know about the agency’s new bus-tracking service. [return to top]

NOTABLE & QUOTABLE

“This is an unusual moment in our nation’s history. You’re dealing with things on the ground that are real. You have an opportunity to be involved in a very tangible way. … You have stories from around the country where people step up and make a difference. This is not a time to sit back and be passive, because you won’t like the outcome if you do.”

Rep. Earl Blumenauer
APTA Legislative Conference
March 14, 2017 [return to top]