Skip to Content
Streetsblog California home
Streetsblog California home
Log In
Streetsblog USA

Trump Proposes Massive Cuts to Transit, Amtrak

Photo: Gage Skidmore/Flickr

The Trump Administration wants to cut funding for new transit projects by 39 percent and slash funding for Amtrak by 23 percent — even as it raises highway spending — the preliminary 2020 budget reveals.

The White House has targeted a program called "Capital Improvement Grants," which provides a federal match for major new transit projects, like Phoenix's South Central Light Rail or Indianapolis's Red Line bus rapid transit. Trump's 2020 budget would cut the program from $2.5 billion to $1.5 billion.

The administration's proposed budget sticks to the far-right talking point that transit projects are a local concern, but highway funding is a national priority. As a result, the Trump White House believes that only transit projects with high local funding can be eligible to receive some of the $500 million the Administration would make available that is not already committed.

Amtrak funding would also be slashed under this budget, by about $455 million or 23 percent. The budget calls for eliminating long-distance train service and replacing it with buses, an idea the White House floated, unsuccessfully, in its 2019 budget as well.

In prior years, Congress has ignored President Trump's requests to slash transit funding, and the White House proposal is merely advisory. Congress has the "power of the purse," and House lawmakers will soon put together their own budget.

Trump's budget proposal also includes a 31-percent cut for the Environmental Protection Agency, the Washington Post reported. And the Department of Housing and Urban Development would be slashed by 16 percent, the San Francisco Chronicle reported.

Stay in touch

Sign up for our free newsletter

More from Streetsblog California

Tuesday’s Headlines

New protected bike lanes in Long Beach and Oakland....less protected bike lanes in Vista.

July 29, 2025

What Will It Take To Give Victims and Advocates a Voice at US DOT?

A new bill would put a dedicated "roadway safety advocate" in the halls of US DOT — and you can support it right now.

July 28, 2025

Intersection Daylighting Push Begins in Earnest

San Francisco kicks off a year-long project to daylight all intersection curbs to 20 feet. But the plan has a flaw.

July 28, 2025

Legislative Update: Summer Recess Edition

It's summer break, and a lot of legislation has cleared

July 28, 2025

Monday’s Headlines

News and views from up and down the Golden State.

July 28, 2025

How Trump is Exploiting a Very Real Trucking Safety Concern to Crack Down on Immigrants

The Trump administration will crack down on truck drivers who don't speak English and the people who give them licenses. Some advocates say that anti-immigrant spin is distracting much broader safety problems that deserve bipartisan support.

July 27, 2025
See all posts