Tommy Washbush
The BRT bus lane leading to the Captiol on E. Washington Ave.
Federal funds paved the way for Madison’s bus rapid transit system.
"Who knows” has become the recurring response to questions about how a second Donald Trump administration might affect federal infrastructure funding earmarked for Madison.
“I really don’t want to speculate on what none of us really know,” says Justin Stuehrenberg, general manager of Madison Metro, in an email.
Democratic U.S. Rep. Mark Pocan, who serves on the House Appropriations Committee, is similarly in the dark. “We really don’t know yet,” he says. But given Trump’s promise to undo the accomplishments of the Biden-Harris administration, Pocan says he and other congressional Democrats are concerned.
Ald. MGR Govindarajan, who serves on the city transportation commission, says the Trump administration is “not signaling in favor of expanded transportation.”
A Trump spokesperson did not respond to a request for comment.
Though Trump cannot rescind already allocated funds, he could urge the Republican-controlled House and Senate to rescind those that have just been authorized. The president-elect has also argued that the executive branch should again have “impoundment” authority, which would allow the president to refuse to release funds appropriated by Congress. This power was last used by Richard Nixon before Congress passed legislation in 1974 to eliminate the power.
President Joe Biden made massive infrastructure investments across the country through four legislative spending packages that received bipartisan support. Those policies total $1.6 trillion dollars in infrastructure and climate investments — $551 billion in tax credits and $1.1 trillion in approved spending — according to Politico.
But large pots of money remain unspent. Trump pledged in September to “rescind all unspent funds under the misnamed Inflation Reduction Act,” the climate-focused funding package that Democrats claim will invest an estimated $4 billion for clean energy production in Wisconsin by 2030.
In Wisconsin and Madison, Biden’s infrastructure funds have paved the way for Madison’s bus rapid transit system as well as affordable housing initiatives, highway and road repairs. Bus rapid transit, in particular, became a frequent stump point for Democrats while campaigning this fall in Madison: the city’s first route received 75% (nearly $140 million) of its total funding through the federal Capital Investment Grants program. The Federal Transit Authority recommended $118.1 million in March for the north-south route, though Congress has not yet authorized the spending.
Stuehrenberg says that funding is likely safe. “That program is still quite popular with Congress and continued through the first Trump administration,” Stuehrenberg says. “I have no reason to believe it won’t continue this time.”
Asked if he thinks congressional support for the Capital Investment Grants program will hold, Pocan says Trump’s unpredictability — and the Republican caucus’ willingness to go along with his whims — makes it difficult to count on “politics as usual.” Pocan says funds related to climate change, transit and health care seem more at risk.
“Honestly, I know you’re going to get tired of hearing this answer, but if Donald Trump says the sky is red, all of a sudden, half of my colleagues will say the sky is red,” Pocan says. “They’re going to do what Donald Trump ultimately decides, and there’s not necessarily a rhyme or reason to the decisions he makes.”
