Dear Chairman Chairman Schatz and Ranking Member Hyde-Smith,

We write to you today to urge you to reject the House THUD Appropriations bill and pass an appropriations bill that fulfills and builds on the commitment Congress made in the bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA).

The House bill would be a significant step back for public transit in this nation and would have devastating economic impacts on states and local communities.

The House bill would cut billions of dollars meant to repair the nation’s aging infrastructure and would hamstring some of the most urgently needed public works projects across the country.

At the very moment so many states and communities are facing transit fiscal shortfalls, the impact of the House cuts would be crippling for many states and communities.

High-quality public transit has the potential to significantly reduce the number of vehicle miles driven on our nation's roads, resulting in decreased traffic congestion, air pollution, and carbon emissions. When public transit is readily available, Americans have a wider range of mobility choices which increases access to essentials like healthcare services, health food, education, jobs, and opportunities for civic engagement. Investing in better, faster, more reliable public transit service will result in better public health outcomes and will substantially ease the task of moving to a zero-emissions transportation system.

At this critical moment, the IIJA gives cities and states the ability to expand public transit options, replace thousands of deficient transit vehicles, including buses, with clean, zero-emission vehicles, and improve accessibility for the elderly and people with disabilities. But that is not possible unless Congress fulfills its promise to the American public and fully funds the vital programs contained in the bill.

So, in addition, to reject the House bill, we urge you to:

• Fully fund the formula funds for the Mass Transit Account at $14.2 billion.

• Add additional funding for the Safe Streets and Roads for All (SS4A) grants.

• Fund the Capital Investment Grant (CIG) program as close to the full IIJA authorization of $3 billion as the Fiscal Responsibility Act's spending caps will allow.

Public transit is our route to a more prosperous, equitable, healthy, and sustainable future. But that cannot be accomplished without full funding for programs that fund transit projects and efforts to improve access to transit. We cannot afford to miss this historic opportunity and need Congress to fulfill the promise it made in the IIJA.