The US House Appropriations Committee has approved its version of the funding bill for Department of Transportation, Housing and Urban Development programs for Fiscal Year 2027.
The timing and outlook for the bill is intertwined in some ways with the surface transportation reauthorization bill that was approved by the House Transportation & Infrastructure Committee. Fiscal Year 2027 is the first year after the expiration of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), so there is some uncertainty on authorized funding levels for highway, transit, and rail programs. In addition, the committee was working within very low budget caps – the total allocation for the bill was 10% lower than FY 2026.
The committee decided to reprogram $7.8 billion in unspent IIJA funds, including $5.1 billion from the Federal Railroad Administration Federal-State Partnership for Intercity Passenger Rail program, to fund various transportation accounts for FY 2027.
Here is a summary of major accounts in the bill:
Highways
- $62.7 billion for federal-aid highway programs, the same level as FY 2026.
- $1.13 billion in additional funding for highways, including $725 million for earmarked projects and $200 million for truck parking, funded through a transfer from unspent IIJA highway infrastructure funds.
Transit
- $14.6 billion for transit formula programs, the same level as FY 2026.
- $875 million in additional funding for the LA28 Olympic games.
- $737 million for Capital Investment Grants, down from $1.7 billion in FY 2026, funded through a transfer from unspent IIJA funds for intercity passenger rail.
Rail
Redirects unspent IIJA intercity passenger rail funding to various rail accounts:
- $650 million for Amtrak – Northeast Corridor, a reduction of $200 million below FY 2026.
- $1.45 billion for Amtrak – National Network, a reduction of $127 million below FY 2026.
- $523 million for Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvements (CRISI) grants, an increase of $385 million above FY 2026.
- $100 million for railroad crossing elimination.
Aviation
- $4 billion for FAA Facilities & Equipment, consistent with FY 2026.
- $4 billion for the Airport Improvement Program, consistent with the FAA reauthorization law and FY 2026 levels.
- $271 million in additional funding for earmarked airport projects.
Multimodal
- $538 million for the Port Infrastructure Development program, funded through a transfer from the IIJA intercity passenger rail program.
- $550 million for BUILD grants, an increase from $145 million in FY 2026, funded through a transfer from unspent funds in the IIJA culvert removal program.
The House Appropriations Committee approved the measure on a party-line vote last night.
A summary of the bill from committee Republicans is here.
A summary of the bill from committee Democrats is here.
A list of all the earmarked projects is here.
It’s not clear at this point whether or when the full House may vote, or if there would be enough support to pass it. The Senate Appropriations Committee has not yet released their version of the bill, which is likely to be substantially different.
The current fiscal year ends on September 30. There is a great deal of pessimism in Washington that any appropriations bills will pass before the deadline, and a short-term continuing resolution will be necessary.
ACEC National continues to be deeply engaged with Congress on funding for the upcoming Fiscal Year and we will keep you apprised as progress continues.