Infrastructure

Congress needs to lift limitations on tax-exempt private activity bonds, say transportation advocates.

"We have got to keep the money coming in to transit," said Sen. Elizabeth Warren D- Mass.

As the Trump administration puts its stamp on dispensing infrastructure funding, proponents of P3's, PABs, federal and formula funding are squaring off against grants to state and local governments.

Private investment is key to the train's future, said the CEO.

Flight delays and safety concerns at Newark Airport has pushed FAA funding levels back into the headlines as the idea of issuing user fee supported bonds to provide a non-political revenue stream comes back to life.

The rating agency expects a decline in U.S. air passenger numbers this year due to a deceleration in U.S. economic growth, it said in a report this week. 

The bonds have not reacted to the most recent negative ratings actions, although one buysider said that may soon change.

The downgrade pushes $2.2 billion of private activity bonds issued for the passenger train startup though the Florida Development Finance Corp. to junk.

The U.S. Department of Transportation rolls out $3.2 billion via 329 infrastructure grants that will fund more than 3,200 projects that the agency contends were tangled up in red tape and DEI requirements.

Amid deep cuts to public K-12 schools, the proposed budget would boost charter school investment as the administration said "more local school options are needed."

With a funding agreement in the state budget, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority is gearing up to start capital repairs — and find $3 billion of savings. 

As cutting the federal budget resonates as a central theme in the Trump administration, the Department of Transportation is getting a boost in appropriation proposals.

The ratings agency changed its outlook on its BBB-minus rating to negative from stable Wednesday.

Congress has not authorized a fresh revenue source for the Highway Trust Fund in three decades.

The bill would create a not-for-profit corporation modeled after California's IBank, but with more flexibility to handle large-scale projects, backers say.

S&P revised the outlook for the Maryland Transportation Authority's outstanding revenue bonds to negative from stable due to the timing of the federal funding needed to rebuild the Francis Scott Key Bridge that was damaged by a cargo freighter in March 2024.

Tariffs imposed by the Trump administration are already affecting port operations as Moody's has revised the U.S. ports sector to a negative outlook reflecting an expected 7%-12% decline in volume.

"Federal grants come with a clear obligation to adhere to federal laws," said Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy.

A mix of pay-as-you-go, bond proceeds and federal grants bolster the infrastructure of Mobile, Alabama, which is getting a new arena, air terminal and bridge.

Fourteen percent of the state bills would create an electric vehicle fee, and Republicans in Congress have floated their own national EV fee to shore up the Highway Trust Fund.