President Trump’s proposed cuts to public transportation will have severe consequences in our local communities and across our nation.
President Trump’s proposed cuts will:
Increase traffic congestion. Traffic congestion already costs our nation an estimated $160 billion annually in lost time and fuel, and it will only get worse without public transit investments.
Limit job creation. Every $1 billion invested in public transportation creates about 50,000 jobs, mostly in the private sector; that job creation will diminish without federal funding.
Undermine local economic development and property values. Public transit spurs local development and improves property values, both of which will suffer if the federal government abandons its support for public transportation.Congress should reject President Trump’s proposal to gut federal support for public transportation.
Federal funding for public transportation is a sound investment that creates jobs, spurs economic development and helps limit traffic congestion and air pollution. Furthermore, public transportation is essential for the mobility of millions of Americans, connecting people to jobs and education, and giving older Americans, veterans, and people with disabilities access to essential services and their larger communities.
It is deeply disappointing – and, frankly, doesn’t make sense that President Trump has proposed such severe cuts to transit after pledging to invest $1 trillion in American infrastructure over the next decade. We need to be building interconnected, multi-modal transportation networks that meet the needs of our growing population and economy. The proposed cuts will take America in the wrong direction.
There has been strong bipartisan support in Congress for public transportation funding up to now.
I hope other constituents will join me in urging our congressional delegation to reject the cuts proposed by President Trump and to stand up for transportation investments that will benefit all of us.
Laurine Fabrick
Seattle
