Skip to Content
Streetsblog USA home
Streetsblog USA home
Log In
Elliot "Lee" Sander

The Build for America Plan: Invest in Transportation, Create Jobs

t4a_jsk.jpg
Janette Sadik-Khan, Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney and Lee Sander. Photo: Paul White.

The Build for America campaign officially launched yesterday afternoon at Grand Central Terminal, one of six events held in cities across the nation. DOT Commissioner Janette Sadik-Khan -- joined by MTA chief Lee Sander, U.S. reps Jerrold Nadler and Carolyn Maloney, and a bevy of advocates -- advanced the case for committing ambitious levels of federal support to modernizing the nation's transportation system.

"America's transportation system is facing a perfect storm of huge costs, declining infrastructure, dwindling resources and dependence on foreign oil," said Sadik-Khan. "And while we're struggling just to fix and maintain our roads, our global competitors are building systems that we simply don't have." The United States does not have a high-speed rail system, she added, and the nation's transit systems are struggling just to keep up with ridership demand.

Most speakers hewed to an economic argument: Federal investment in
transportation infrastructure can create
jobs as the nation faces the prospect of a deep recession. Investing that money wisely, they said, requires re-orienting spending priorities away from new highway construction and toward rail and transit.

Noting that federal spending on infrastructure has declined since 1980 from 3 percent of GDP to 1.8 percent, Nadler set a target allocation of $500 billion for the next multi-year transportation spending package (the previous package authorized $248 billion over six years). "If we do it right, it will help us get out of the very deep recession we're going into," he said, placing an emphasis on investment in passenger and freight rail. "If we don't do it right, it will make the recession deeper and reduce our competitiveness."

New York has a lot riding on the re-authorization. With the MTA facing a funding crisis, Sander painted a bleak picture of how the city's transit system may deteriorate without more federal support, invoking its sorry state in the 1970s and 80s.

"The resurgence of New York is very much linked to the improved performance of the MTA," he said. "We will not be able to maintain this success without a renewed commitment from our funding partners, including the federal government. You can be sure that one finding of the Ravitch Commission will be that we cannot succeed without a strong federal bill."

Stay in touch

Sign up for our free newsletter

More from Streetsblog USA

The Shocking Untold History of America’s Rails-to-Trails Movement

Some of the fiercest battles for the future of public space in America have happened on abandoned railway corridors — and the battles aren't over yet.

October 7, 2025

Tuesday’s Headlines Take It Back

Withholding transit funds is just one aspect of the Trump administration's campaign to reshape the federal bureaucracy during the shutdown.

October 7, 2025

Commentary: Speed Cameras are a Good Start for Safe Streets

But *all* tools must be used to achieve Vision Zero —  not just speed cameras.

October 6, 2025

Under Pressure: Uber’s Navigation System Endangers the Public With Reckless Driving Directions

An Uber driver made an illegal u-turn and hit someone, but the in-app navigation told him to do it and the company won't give up the code.

October 6, 2025

Likely NYC Mayor Mamdani Supports Daylighting

But the next mayor will have to overcome a deeply entrenched bureaucracy opposed to the common-sense policy.

October 6, 2025

As Portland Fights ICE With Land-Use Regulations, Will Zoning Survive Trump?

Portland's attempt to rein in ICE could trigger a battle over the constitutionality of zoning.

October 6, 2025
See all posts