In early 2025, the U.S. Department of Transportation issued a memo announcing a freeze on certain federal transportation funds as part of a broader cost-cutting directive following an executive order signed by President Donald Trump. The order aims to reduce discretionary spending across federal agencies, impacting transportation infrastructure grants and delaying new project approvals. Much of this funding was originally created through the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), also known as the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, enacted in 2021 by Congress and signed by then-President Joe Biden. The law authorizes $1.2 trillion for transportation and infrastructure spending, with $550 billion of that going toward new investments and programs.
The federal government’s decision has raised alarms across the nation. National advocacy organization Transportation for America has published an insightful blog post on the impacts of federal funding changes across the country, which they regularly update.
What does this federal funding pause mean for Washington’s transportation system?
In Washington, these funds play a critical role in financing our transportation system and programming, like the preservation of aging infrastructure, public transit expansion, and investments in pedestrian and bicycle safety. As of late 2024, the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law has delivered $9.89 billion to transportation infrastructure projects across Washington. Here’s an interactive map by Senator Maria Cantwell’s office of every project in the state that has been funded by the law. Grist also has a map that tracks projects across the country.
According to Transportation for America’s analysis, at least $356.5 million in obligated federal funds are at stake for Washington, translating to $44.81 per capita. It will seriously impact the Washington State Department of Transportation, which is already facing a $6 billion budget shortfall by 2031.
TCC has broken down the loss of funding that has been legally committed, but not paid out, for different counties across the state, all of which could be significantly impacted:
- King County: At least $85 million
- Snohomish County: At least $3 million
- Pierce County: At least $13 million
- Whatcom County: At least $4 million
- Spokane County: At least $16 million
This potential funding loss will put many critical transportation projects and programs in jeopardy. While we do not know all of the specific impacts yet, the funding cuts or freezes could also jeopardize projects and programs such as:
- Critical state road and bridge repairs and improvements, like replacement of the Interstate Bridge between Oregon and Washington
- Electric vehicle charge installation and maintenance through the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Program (NEVI)
- Rural and tribal transportation projects
- Public transit agency service hours, maintenance, and electrification
- Highway programs that can be flexed to fund transit and other multimodal transportation
- Community-driven projects that are addressing local needs (like the USDOT Reconnecting Communities program), especially in communities of color
What is TCC doing?
Transportation Choices Coalition is actively communicating with our federal elected representatives. This week, we sent letters to every elected Senator and Representative in our state urging them to protect federal funding for Washington’s transportation system. We are also participating in regular meetings held by Transportation for America with advocacy groups across the country, where we’re learning the most up-to-date information on the quickly changing landscape of federal transportation funding. Finally, TCC shares regular updates to our weekly Washington Transportation Advocates (WATA) calls and through our newsletter.
What you can do
- Sign up for TCC’s Legislative Dispatch emails and action alerts.
- Attend the upcoming webinar, “Navigating the Future of Transportation Funding,” hosted by Transportation for America on Feb. 25th.
- Check out this toolkit from the National Campaign for Transit Justice, with resources on contacting legislators and sharing information on any projects that you know are paused.
- Contact your federal representatives using America Walks’ helpful form and script.
Resources
Unflooding the zone: What do the Trump administration’s latest actions signal for transportation? – A helpful blog post with detailed information on funding at risk by each congressional district across the country.
Streetsblog USA – A website posting regular and frequent updates on federal transportation policy, funding, and actions.
Where did billions in climate and infrastructure funding go? – Grist’s interactive map and website, searchable by zip code, showing projects funded by the IIJA and Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.
