The U.S. House of Representatives passed H.R. 4502, an appropriations minibus for Fiscal Year 2022 which included the Transportation, Housing and Urban Development (T-HUD) funding bill. If passed by the Senate, the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) could see its budget bumped up to $105.7 billion to expand safety programs and fund highway, rail, transit and climate-focused infrastructure projects. The two chambers will have to reconcile their differences before sending bills to the president's desk.
The FY 2022 T-HUD and Related Agencies funding bill provides funding of $84.1 billion, an increase of $8.7 billion – more than 11 percent – above FY 2021. This includes an increase of $6.8 billion is for the Department of Housing and Urban Development and $1.9 billion for the Department of Transportation. In total, the bill provides $162.6 billion in budgetary resources, an increase of $25.9 billion above 2021.
According to a T-HUD fact sheet, the legislation:
- Rebuilds our crumbling runways, roads, and bridges with $105.7 billion in budgetary resources for the Department of Transportation to invest in airports, highways, transit, passenger rail and port systems
- Creates tens of thousands of good-paying American jobs to do the work
- Promotes safe transportation and housing with a skilled and growing workforce to conduct inspections, mitigate hazards, and study emerging threats and innovative solutions to strengthen cybersecurity
- Increases the safety and long-term viability of roads and highways, expands bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure, supports Federal auto safety programs, and invests in the transit state of good repair, consistent with the INVEST in America Act
- Reduces emissions, increases resiliency and addresses historical inequities in transportation and housing programs through targeted grants and investments
H.R. 4502 also includes the Labor-Health and Human Services, and Education Appropriations bill, the Agriculture and Rural Development Appropriations Bill, the Energy and Water Development Appropriations bill, the Financial Services and General Government Appropriations bill, the Interior and Environment Appropriations bill, and the Military Construction and Veterans Affairs Appropriations bill.
A Positive Step for Infrastructure
Aside from the budget, Congress is working on comprehensive infrastructure investment legislation.
Also this week, the U.S. Senate cleared a logjam and voted to move forward with debate on an estimated $1.2 trillion bipartisan infrastructure proposal that's moving through the Senate in a dual-track process. Biden and Democratic leaders are also pushing for a separate $3.5 trillion budget bill that would move in tandem, but through a special filibuster-proof process called reconciliation allowing it to clear the Senate with a simple majority.
That budget package would address Biden's other key priorities such as child care, education, health care and climate change.The 2022 Transportation, and Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies funding bill that the House passed Thursday would help ensure that the DOT is well-positioned to see through on those policy goals.
