	Introduction

The Obama Administration requested $94.5 billion for the Department of Transportation (DOT) for FY2017, $19.5 billion (26%) more than DOT received in FY2016. The Obama Administration proposal included significant increases in funding for highway, transit, and intercity passenger rail programs. The Senate Committee on Appropriations recommended a total of $76.9 billion in new budget authority for DOT for FY2017 ($74.7 billion after scorekeeping adjustments); this is $1.8 billion (2.5%) above the comparable FY2016 amount. On May 12, 2016, the full Senate began consideration of FY2017 appropriations for Transportation, HUD, and Related Agencies. By custom, appropriations bills originate in the House of Representatives. On May 24, 2016, the House Committee on Appropriations reported out H.R. 5394 . The scale of the funding coming from these funds is not entirely obvious in DOT budget tables, because most of the funding from the Airport and Airway Trust Fund is in the form of discretionary budget authority and so is combined with the discretionary budget authority provided from the general fund. Selected Issues

Overall, the Obama Administration's FY2017 budget request totaled $96.9 billion in new budget resources for DOT. The requested funding is $21.9 billion more than that enacted for FY2016. The Obama Administration request called for significant increases over the authorized amounts for highways, transit, and intercity rail. According to press reports, the Trump Administration has requested $1 billion in reductions from FY2016 levels, zeroing out the Essential Air Services program (-$150 million) and the TIGER (National Infrastructure Investment) grant program (-$500 million) and reducing funding for the transit New Starts program (-$400 million). Highway Trust Fund Solvency

Virtually all federal highway funding and most federal transit funding come from the Highway Trust Fund, whose revenues comes largely from the federal motor fuels excise tax ("gas tax"). Congress has continued to support the TIGER program through annual DOT appropriations. The $85 million in the Senate bill, and $50 million recommended in the House bill, for intercity passenger rail grants in FY2017 in addition to the grants to Amtrak would be the first funding provided for intercity passenger rail (other than grants for positive train control implementation) since the 111 th Congress (2009-2010), which provided $10.5 billion for DOT's high-speed and intercity passenger rail grant program. The Senate bill would have provided $2.338 billion, the authorized level, which is 7% ($161 million) above the FY2016 level. That provision was not included in the Senate bill. For FY2017, the Senate bill would have provided $150 million for WMATA, while expressing frustration at the lack of progress the agency has made in improving safety with the additional funding it has been receiving.
In February 2016, the Obama Administration proposed a $96.9 billion budget for the Department of Transportation (DOT) for FY2017. That is approximately $22 billion more than was provided for FY2016. The budget request reflected the Administration's call for significant increases in funding for highway, transit, and rail programs.
The DOT appropriations bill funds federal programs covering aviation, highways and highway safety, public transit, intercity rail, maritime safety, pipelines, and related activities. Federal highway, transit, and rail programs were reauthorized in the fall of 2015, and their future funding authorizations were somewhat increased. There is general agreement that more funding is needed for transportation infrastructure, but Congress has not been able to agree on a source that could provide the additional funding. The federal excise tax on motor fuel, which is the primary funding source for federal highway and transit programs, has not been increased in over 20 years, and does not raise enough revenue to support even the current level of spending. To address this shortfall, Congress periodically transfers money from the general fund to keep the programs going.
The annual appropriations for DOT are combined with those for the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) in the Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies (THUD) appropriations bill. In the 114th Congress, the Senate passed H.R. 2577, in which Division A was FY2017 appropriations for THUD. The bill would have provided $76.9 billion in new budget authority for DOT, $1.8 billion more than the comparable figure in FY2016 but roughly $20 billion less than the Administration request. The increase in spending over FY2016 was not obvious in budget tables due to a proposed rescission of $2.2 billion of contract authority, which made the net FY2017 amount $344 million less than the comparable FY2016 appropriation. The House Committee on Appropriations reported out H.R. 5394, which would have provided $76.9 billion in new budget authority for DOT.
The major changes from FY2016 levels in these bills were more funding for highways, transit, and intercity passenger rail.
FY2017 funding is being provided by a continuing resolution (CR) at roughly FY2016 levels. The current CR ends on April 28, 2017. According to press reports, the Trump Administration has requested a $1 billion reduction in DOT funding from FY2016 levels, with cuts to the Essential Air Service, TIGER (National Infrastructure Investment), and transit New Starts grant programs.