Enabling Better Access to Federal Transportation Funds for Small and Rural Communities
Summary
Most federal transportation funds are distributed to state and regional transportation entities by a legislatively set formula for different types of transportation. An exception to this rule is the U.S. Department of Transportation’s (USDOT) Better Utilizing Investments to Leverage Development (BUILD) Transportation Discretionary Grants program (formerly known as the TIGER program). The BUILD program is extremely flexible, with funding available for any kind of surface-transportation project and any government agency, and it the only transportation program that provides direct capital support to local transportation projects. This flexibility has made the BUILD program incredibly popular, receiving 10 times more applications than can be funded. However, the application process is extensive and can require outside assistance to produce, making the application itself too expensive for some areas to take on, especially considering the high level of competition. USDOT should create a simpler application that most public agencies can manage with internal staff to make the program more universally available to communities of all sizes and levels of capacity.
CHIPS is poised to ramp up demand for STEM graduates, but the nation’s education system is unprepared to produce them.
An analysis of the President’s FY25 budget proposal by the Alliance for Learning Innovation found a lot to like.
Federal investment in STEM education/workforce development, though significant, can hardly be described as a generational response to an economic and national security crisis.
A supply-side tax credit (STC) could offer a tax incentive to material suppliers and professional service consultants that provide goods or services to affordable housing projects.