Annual Transportation Spending Bill Advances Out of Senate Committee

What happened: The Senate Appropriations Committee July 25 unanimously passed their fiscal year (FY) 2025 transportation appropriations bill.  The bipartisan measure would fully fund previously authorized aviation and Highway Trust Fund-supported highway and public transportation programs.

Unlike the House committee legislation passed in June, the bill does not call for cuts to the Capital Investment Grant program.  However, like the House measure, the Senate version includes supplemental capital resources, mostly in the form of earmarks.

The following chart compares the proposed FY 2025 Senate and House spending legislation with previously enacted appropriations laws, and includes the 2021 infrastructure law’s mandatory advanced appropriations:

Why it matters:  While there are some differences between the two chambers’ measures, both bills call for fully-funding previously authorized spending for highways, public transportation and airport construction, which is a strong sign for any final spending package.

What’s next:  Current year spending expires Sept. 30, and with Congress in recess until early September, a short-term continuing resolution is expected to allow work on FY 2025 to continue.