Trump Rescinds Infrastructure Spending Freeze

President Donald Trump’s budget office rescinded a memo freezing spending on federal loans and grants earlier this week, signaling it is willing to advance key transportation projects funded by the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA).

Rail Passengers Association issued a letter to President Trump last week urging the immediate resumption of funding for projects that are upgrading passenger and freight rail corridors across the U.S.

“These grants are located in almost every state in the nation, from Florida to Alaska,” we wrote. “They will benefit millions of Americans, in big cities and small towns, urban neighborhoods and rural communities, Red States and Blue. The vast majority of the rail projects in question required state and local governments to provide local funding matches to secure these grants. Delaying disbursements will not only endanger tens of thousands of construction jobs, it will introduce costly delays, which will likely be borne by local governments.”

We also asked our supporters to reach out to the White House and to their elected officials in Congress. Thousands of you responded, flooding DC with thousands of messages!

“I want to thank all the advocates who stepped up to support these critical rail programs,” said Rail Passengers President Jim Mathews. “This is a win for America’s passengers and for common sense. We look forward to working with Congress, the White House, and local governments to keep building a better passenger rail network.”