Buttigieg Announces $1 Billion for Transportation Safety
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Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg recently announced a new wave of funding aimed at improving transportation safety around the country.
The secretary on Sept. 5 said his department was dedicating more than $1 billion for a program designed to enhance accommodations for pedestrians and motorists along mobility corridors. The funds are flowing from the $1.2 trillion Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, a bipartisan law approaching its third anniversary.
“Through new funding programs like Safe Streets and Roads for All, the Biden-Harris administration is helping communities of all sizes make their roadways safer for everyone who uses them,” Buttigieg said in a statement accompanying the announcement.
The Safe Streets and Roads for All, or SS4A program, assists communities with planning and implementation of projects central to safeguarding the traveling public in rural and urban regions. The program is linked to DOT’s National Roadway Safety Strategy that responds to National Highway Traffic Safety Administration data estimating nearly 41,000 highway fatalities occurred last year.
BIG NEWS: The Biden-Harris Administration announced over 350 grants to improve roadway safety and prevent deaths and severe injuries on America's roads.
These projects will make our streets safer for everyone. pic.twitter.com/hHttC0fs7M — U.S. Department of Transportation (@USDOT) September 5, 2024
“We should be energized by the fact that together we’ve reduced traffic fatalities for more than two years in a row now — but so much work remains to fully address the crisis on our roads. Today’s roadway safety grants will deliver funding directly to 354 communities and continue the important work we’re doing to reduce traffic fatalities to the only number that’s acceptable: zero,” the secretary added.
Since the infrastructure law’s enactment Nov. 15, 2021, the Biden administration has announced funding for upgrading and modernizing the nation’s complex supply chain and commuter networks. The IIJA also dedicates billions of dollars to fund an array of emerging mobility technologies, severe weather resilience programs and myriad recruitment and retention efforts in the freight sector. Last month, for instance, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration announced funds specific to enhancing the trucking workforce. A $3.5 million effort from the agency would be used to facilitate access for careers in the commercial transportation industry. This funding from the administration’s trucking action plan would “strengthen America’s supply chains and support the workers who keep our economy moving,” the secretary explained.
In a prepared statement, FMCSA deputy administrator Vinn White added, “We are proud to make this funding available, and are committed to working with the awardees to put it to good use, making it easier for drivers to enter into and stay in the [commercial motor vehicle] industry.”
Buttigieg
During his tenure, Buttigieg has reminded the public of the bipartisan infrastructure law’s central role in advancing safety and economic initiatives. He has already visited every state to promote the IIJA’s implementation. And with the fall election fast approaching, the secretary’s visibility has been amplified as he keeps championing the White House’s policy agenda amid a politically polarized electorate.
In his role as secretary, Buttigieg recently took aim at members of Congress tasked with updating the IIJA’s surface transportation policy component. During a Sept. 4 virtual call, Buttigieg told reporters, “I would like to believe that robust funding for safety and infrastructure improvements can be bipartisan. Just like the bill that got us here was bipartisan. And, of course, as we zoom out just for the next nine weeks, I also think it’s appropriate for Congress to begin having the conversations among themselves and before too long with us about what comes next. Because we are now wrapping up year three of the five-year life of the IIJA.”
The secretary continued, “I think we’ve already got a lot to show for that demonstrates why these investments were needed. But now we’re going to need to look at what has to happen around the corner.”
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In his personal capacity, Buttigieg has been a frequent guest on national cable television programs. At the Democratic National Convention last month he called on voters to endorse Vice President Kamala Harris and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz (D). “This November we get to choose. We get to choose our president. We get to choose our policies, but most of all we will choose better politics.”
With less than two months before the election, the Harris-Walz ticket is seeking support from the electorate against former President Donald Trump and Sen. J.D. Vance (R-Ohio). At a debate scheduled for Sept. 10, Harris and Trump will be asked by moderators to defend their policy positions. Historically, maintaining and enhancing the country’s infrastructure projects has garnered bipartisan support in the political arena.
