Wednesday’s Headlines Cut to the Bone
Transit and rail only get a small share of the federal highway trust fund as is, and the Trump administration now wants to take away that.
By
Blake Aued
12:01 AM EDT on July 29, 2026
- Transit Secretary Sean Duffy wants to eliminate 85 percent of federal funding for mass transit and passenger rail, as well as cut funding for Complete Streets and electric vehicle chargers (Smart Cities Dive). More details of the Trump administration’s priorities for the next five-year surface transportation bill are at Mass Transit.
- Among them, Duffy is also advocating for “freedom cars,” which is a prohibition on state and local governments requiring people to purchase self-driving cars or vehicles that transmit information wirelessly (Newsweek). Maybe it has something to do with privacy concerns about automated camera enforcement of speeding laws? (Autoweek)
- In addition, the DOT announced that will no longer enforce federal civil rights laws when state and local transportation agencies are guilty of discrimination. (The Guardian)
- Kansas City is taking public input on a $400 million streetcar extension to the 18th and Vine Jazz District. (KCTV 5)
- Philadelphia transit advocates rode SEPTA for 24 hours straight to highlight the importance of permanent state funding for transit. (NBC 10)
- Milwaukee County is proposing cutting transit funding by 25 percent while also pushing for an $858 million new courthouse. (Urban Milwaukee)
- The Connecticut DOT is working on upgrading the notoriously pokey New Haven rail line. (Mirror)
- A challenger for mayor of Gainesville, Florida, wants to double or triple transit funding. (Sun)
- Columbus, Ohio dedicated a new protected bike lane on North 4th Street. (NBC 41)
- Hungary has committed almost 10 billion euros to improving its passenger rail system. (Daily News Hungary)
Blake Aued has been doing Streetsblog's daily national news digest for years. He's also an Atlanta Braves fan, which enrages his editor in New York.
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