Department of Transportation FY2027 Funding Request

Congressional research reportMay 14, 2026

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Department of Transportation FY2027

Funding Request

May 14, 2026

Congressional Research Service

https://crsreports.congress.gov

R48947

SUMMARY

Department of Transportation FY2027 Funding

Request

The Department of Transportation (DOT) is responsible for the federal regulation and funding of

most modes of U.S. transportation. DOT is mainly organized into operating administrations that

each oversee a mode of transportation (e.g., Federal Aviation Administration [FAA]) or maintain

responsibility for a certain aspect of transportation (e.g., Federal Motor Carrier Safety

Administration). Two DOT offices—the Office of the Secretary (OST) and the Office of

Inspector General (OIG)—have department-wide responsibilities. DOT also includes the Great

Lakes St. Lawrence Seaway Development Corporation (GLSDC), a wholly owned government

corporation that operates and maintains two locks on the St. Lawrence Seaway and other aspects

of navigation infrastructure.

The Trump Administration’s FY2027 budget request for DOT by operating administration and

office was released in April 2026. This report compares the President’s request with FY2026

enacted funding. This report also presents enacted funding for FY2022-FY2025 to provide

additional context for the funding request. For surface transportation modes, FY2022-FY2026 is

the period covered by the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA; P.L. 117-58), which

authorizes federal spending on surface transportation. Congress reportedly is developing new

surface transportation reauthorization legislation, but such legislation had not been introduced as

of the publication of this report. For aviation, FY2022-FY2026 spans time periods covered by the

FAA Reauthorization Act of 2018 (P.L. 115-254) and the FAA Reauthorization Act of 2024

(P.L. 118-63). (FAA is the Federal Aviation Administration.) CRS derived requested and enacted

funding data primarily from DOT’s “budget estimates” documents.

Overall, DOT’s budget request for FY2027 ($113.9 billion) is 23% lower than FY2026 enacted

funding ($148.5 billion). The reduction comes mainly from

R48947

May 14, 2026

William J. Mallett

Specialist in

Transportation Policy

John Frittelli

Specialist in

Transportation Policy

Ben Goldman

Analyst in Transportation

Policy

Ali E. Lohman

Analyst in Transportation

Policy

Jennifer J. Marshall

Analyst in Transportation

Policy

Naseeb A. Souweidane

Analyst in Transportation

Policy

•

the absence of a Trump Administration request for the provision of multiyear advance

appropriations beyond FY2026 (as was provided in Division J of the IIJA), which would

be a reduction of about $12.9 billion for Amtrak and other railroad grants alone;

•

a requested reduction in annual appropriations for the Federal Transit Administration’s

(FTA’s) Capital Investment Grant Program from $1.7 billion in FY2026 to $1.2 billion

for FY2027;

•

a requested reduction in annual appropriations for OST’s National Infrastructure

Investments from $145 million in FY2026 to $0 for FY2027; and

•

a requested reduction in annual appropriations to OST for the Essential Air Service program from $514

million in FY2026 to $142 million for FY2027.

Rachel Y. Tang

Analyst in Transportation

and Industry

DOT’s budget request proposes a funding increase for some of its areas of responsibility, including funding increases for

•

FAA to hire more air traffic controllers,

shipbuilding programs administered by the Maritime Administration (MARAD), and

OST to establish a “DC Safe & Beautiful Fund.”

The FY2027 budget request would increase DOT full-time equivalent (FTE) staff by about 1,400, from 52,600 in FY2026 to

54,000 in FY2027. Most of the increase would come from adding employees at FAA. MARAD FTE staff also would

increase. The budget request would reduce FTEs in most other administrations and offices, mainly expected from

centralization of some administrative support services (e.g., information technology) in OST. According to data from DOT,

some modal administrations had fewer staff in FY2026 than in FY2025. The agencies that experienced some of the largest

staff reductions in percentage terms from FY2025 to FY2026 were the Federal Highway Administration (-24%), National

Highway Traffic Safety Administration (-23%), FTA (-20%), Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (10%), and Federal Railroad Administration (-9%).

Congressional Research Service

Department of Transportation FY2027 Funding Request

Contents

Introduction ..................................................................................................................................... 1

Department of Transportation.......................................................................................................... 1

Federal Aviation Administration...................................................................................................... 4

Federal Highway Administration .................................................................................................... 6

Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration.................................................................................. 8

Federal Railroad Administration ..................................................................................................... 9

Federal Transit Administration ...................................................................................................... 12

Great Lakes St. Lawrence Seaway Development Corporation ..................................................... 13

Maritime Administration ............................................................................................................... 14

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration .......................................................................... 16

Office of Inspector General ........................................................................................................... 17

Office of the Secretary................................................................................................................... 18

Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration ............................................................. 19

Tables

Table 1. Department of Transportation Funding by Operating Administration and Office,

FY2022-FY2026 Enacted and FY2027 Requested ...................................................................... 2

Table 2. Department of Transportation Employees by Operating Administration and

Office, FY2022-FY2026 Enacted and FY2027 Requested .......................................................... 4

Table 3. Federal Aviation Administration Funding, FY2022-FY2026 Enacted and

FY2027 Requested ....................................................................................................................... 5

Table 4. Federal Highway Administration Funding, FY2022-FY2026 Enacted and

FY2027 Requested ....................................................................................................................... 7

Table 5. Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration Funding, FY2022-FY2026

Enacted and FY2027 Requested................................................................................................... 9

Table 6. Federal Railroad Administration Funding, FY2022-FY2026 Enacted and

FY2027 Requested ...................................................................................................................... 11

Table 7. Federal Transit Administration Funding, FY2022-FY2026 Enacted and FY2027

Requested ................................................................................................................................... 12

Table 8. Great Lakes St. Lawrence Seaway Development Corporation ........................................ 13

Table 9. Maritime Administration ................................................................................................. 15

Table 10. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, FY2022-FY2026 Enacted

and FY2027 Requested .............................................................................................................. 17

Table 11. Office of Inspector General Funding, FY2022-FY2026 Enacted and

FY2027 Requested ..................................................................................................................... 17

Table 12. Office of the Secretary Funding, FY2022-FY2026 Enacted and

FY2027 Requested ..................................................................................................................... 19

Table 13. Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration Funding,

FY2022-FY2026 Enacted and FY2027 Requested .................................................................... 21

Congressional Research Service

Department of Transportation FY2027 Funding Request

Contacts

Author Information........................................................................................................................ 22

Congressional Research Service

Department of Transportation FY2027 Funding Request

Introduction

The Department of Transportation (DOT) is responsible for the federal regulation and funding of

most modes of U.S. transportation. DOT is organized mainly into operating administrations that

each oversee a mode of transportation (e.g., Federal Aviation Administration [FAA]) or maintain

responsibility for a certain aspect of transportation (e.g., Federal Motor Carrier Safety

Administration [FMCSA]). Two offices—the Office of the Secretary (OST) and the Office of

Inspector General (OIG)—have department-wide responsibilities. DOT also includes the Great

Lakes St. Lawrence Seaway Development Corporation (GLSDC), a wholly owned government

corporation that operates and maintains two locks on the St. Lawrence Seaway and other aspects

of navigation infrastructure.

This report provides information on the Trump Administration’s FY2027 budget request for DOT

by operating administration and office in comparison with FY2026 enacted funding. Enacted

funding for FY2022-FY2025 is presented for additional context for the funding request. For

surface transportation modes, the FY2022-FY2026 period is covered by the Infrastructure

Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA; P.L. 117-58), which authorizes federal spending on surface

transportation. Congress reportedly is developing new surface transportation reauthorization

legislation, but such legislation had not been introduced as of the publication of this report.1 For

aviation, FY2022-FY2026 spans periods covered by the FAA Reauthorization Act of 2018 (P.L.

115-254) and the FAA Reauthorization Act of 2024 (P.L. 118-63). Requested and enacted funding

data are primarily derived from DOT’s “budget estimates” documents.2

Along with funding information, this report describes the workforce of each administration and

office in terms of full-time equivalent (FTE) employees and the requested number of FTEs for

FY2027.

Department of Transportation

Overall, DOT’s budget request for FY2027 ($113.9 billion) is 23% lower than FY2026 enacted

funding ($148.5 billion) (Table 1). The reduction comes mainly from

•

the absence of a Trump Administration request for the provision of multiyear

advance appropriations beyond FY2026 (as was provided in Division J of the

IIJA), which would be a reduction of about $12.9 billion for Amtrak and other

railroad grants alone;

a requested reduction in annual appropriations for the Federal Transit

Administration’s (FTA’s) Capital Investment Grants (CIG) program from $1.7

billion in FY2026 to $1.2 billion for FY2027;

a requested reduction in annual appropriations for OST’s National Infrastructure

Investments grants from $145 million in FY2026 to $0 for FY2027; and

a requested reduction in annual appropriations to OST for the Essential Air

Service (EAS) program from $514 million in FY2026 to $142 million for

FY2027.

1 Chris Marquette, “Transportation Committee Says Highway Bill Markup Won’t Happen Next Week,” Politico, April

24, 2026, https://subscriber.politicopro.com/article/2026/04/surface-bill-markup-delay-00890938.

2 Department of Transportation (DOT), “DOT Budget and Performance Documents: Budget Estimates,” FY2023FY2027, https://www.transportation.gov/mission/budget/dot-budget-and-performance-documents#BudgetEstimates

(hereinafter DOT Budget Estimates, FY2023-FY2027).

Congressional Research Service

Department of Transportation FY2027 Funding Request

The budget request proposes funding increases for some of DOT’s areas of responsibility. These

include increases in funding for

•

FAA to hire more air traffic controllers,

shipbuilding programs administered by the Maritime Administration (MARAD),

and

OST to establish a “DC Safe & Beautiful Fund.”3

Table 1. Department of Transportation Funding by Operating Administration

and Office, FY2022-FY2026 Enacted and FY2027 Requested

millions of dollars

Operating

Administration/Office

FY2022

Enacted

FY2023

Enacted

FY2024

Enacted

FY2025

Enacted

FY2026

Enacted

FY2027

Request

Federal Aviation

Administration

23,855

24,022

25,081

26,017a

27,206

22,357

Federal Highway

Administration

72,672

73,144

72,480

79,900

75,213

66,162

991

1,008

1,062

1,044

1,066

946

Federal Railroad

Administration

16,525

16,602

16,170

16,125

14,872

2,797

Federal Transit

Administration

20,515

21,218

20,855

20,937

20,915

16,315

Great Lakes St. Lawrence

Seaway Development

Corporation

Maritime Administration

1,726

1,413

1,433

1,350

1,932

2,566

National Highway Traffic

Safety Administration

1,489

1,524

1,559

1,582

1,452

1,293

Office of the Inspector

General

107

112

121

117

105

Office of the Secretary

5,642

5,719

5,267

5,366

5,252

976

Pipeline and Hazardous

Materials Safety

Administration

507

518

571

456

350

144,067

145,319

144,639

153,052

148,520b

113,917

Federal Motor Carrier

Safety Administration

Total

Source: CRS analysis of Department of Transportation (DOT), “DOT Budget and Performance Documents:

Budget Estimates,” FY2023-FY2027, https://www.transportation.gov/mission/budget/dot-budget-andperformance-documents#BudgetEstimates (hereinafter DOT Budget Estimates, FY2023-FY2027); House and

Senate appropriations reports; Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA; P.L. 117-58); Consolidated

Appropriations Act, 2022 (P.L. 117-103); Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2023 (P.L. 117-328); Consolidated

3 According to DOT, “this funding supports implementation of the Making the District of Columbia Safe and Beautiful

Executive Order and allows the Secretary to direct resources to priority initiatives that advance public safety, improve

public spaces, and address infrastructure needs within the District. The request also supports near-term and long-term

improvements to Washington Union Station, including deferred maintenance, capital upgrades, and enhanced safety

and security measures.” DOT, Budget Estimates Fiscal Year 2027: Office of the Secretary, p. Overview-3,

https://www.transportation.gov/sites/dot.gov/files/OST_FY_2027_Budget_Estimates_CJ.pdf.

Congressional Research Service

Department of Transportation FY2027 Funding Request

Appropriations Act, 2024 (P.L. 118-42); Full-Year Continuing Appropriations and Extensions Act, 2025 (P.L. 1194); and Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2026 (P.L. 119-75).

Notes: Amounts may not add to totals because of rounding.

a. Does not include $12.5 billion in FY2025 for air traffic control modernization appropriated by P.L. 119-21,

the FY2025 reconciliation law.

b. P.L. 119-75 transferred funds that had been made available for obligation between FY2022 and FY2026 but

did not specify how much funding was transferred from each fiscal year. If the any of the funds transferred

were first made available in FY2026, it would affect the funding totals for that fiscal year.

Since early 2025, the Trump Administration has taken several actions to restructure the federal

workforce with the stated goal of increasing government efficiency, including by removing

probationary employees; offering employees opportunities for deferred resignation; and pursuing

mass layoffs, often referred to as “reductions-in-force.”4 In some instances, the Administration

has attempted to hire more employees for certain purposes, such as air traffic control.5

The President’s FY2027 budget request, if enacted, would increase DOT FTE staff by about

1,400, from 52,600 in FY2026 to 54,000 in FY2027 (Table 2). Most of the increase would come

from adding employees at FAA. MARAD FTE staff also would increase. The budget request

would reduce FTEs in most other administrations and offices, mainly expected from

centralization of some administrative support services (e.g., information technology) in OST.

According to data from DOT, some modal administrations had fewer staff in FY2026 than in

FY2025. The following agencies experienced some of the largest staff reductions in percentage

terms: Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) (-24%); National Highway Safety

Administration (NHTSA) (-23%); FTA (-20%); Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety

Administration (PHMSA) (-10%); and Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) (-9%).

4 Executive Order 14210 of February 11, 2025, “Implementing the President’s ‘Department of Government Efficiency’

Workforce Optimization Initiative,” 90 Federal Register 9669-9671, February 14, 2025. See also Madeleine Ngo et al.,

“Trump Officials Escalate Layoffs, Targeting Most of 200,000 Workers on Probation,” New York Times, February 13,

2025; and Eric Katz, “Some Agencies Are Walking Back Planned Layoffs, Trump Administration Says,” Government

Executive, July 15, 2025, https://www.govexec.com/workforce/2025/07/some-agencies-are-walking-back-plannedlayoffs-trump-administration-says/406737/.

5 DOT, “Trump’s Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duffy and the Federal Aviation Administration Unveil New

Campaign to Target Next Generation of Air Traffic Controllers” press release, April 10, 2026,

https://www.transportation.gov/briefing-room/trumps-transportation-secretary-sean-p-duffy-and-federal-aviationadministration.

Congressional Research Service

Department of Transportation FY2027 Funding Request

Table 2. Department of Transportation Employees by Operating Administration

and Office, FY2022-FY2026 Enacted and FY2027 Requested

full-time equivalent (FTE)

Operating

Administration/Office

FY2022

Enacted

FY2023

Enacted

FY2024

Enacted

FY2025

Enacted

FY2026

Enacted

FY2027

Request

Federal Aviation

Administration

43,089

43,258

43,152

43,604

43,331

44,313

Federal Highway

Administration

2,699

2,701

2,810

2,899

2,202

2,146

Federal Motor Carrier

Safety Administration

1,209

1,285

1,207

1,151

1,189

Federal Railroad

Administration

893

1,026

1,099

1,112

1,010

997

Federal Transit

Administration

669

723

781

694

552

547

Great Lakes St. Lawrence

Seaway Development

Corporation

143

126

125

128

Maritime Administration

797

838

840

858

922

982

National Highway Traffic

Safety Administration

646

751

848

762

590

544

Office of Inspector

General

414

410

382

395

380

350

Office of the Secretary

1,512

1,665

1,871

1,870

1,763

2,228

Pipeline and Hazardous

Materials Safety

Administration

590

645

646

622

558

537

52,661

53,445

53,857

54,149

52,584

53,961

Total

Source: CRS analysis of DOT Budget Estimates, FY2023-FY2027, https://www.transportation.gov/mission/

budget/dot-budget-and-performance-documents#BudgetEstimates.

Federal Aviation Administration

FAA programs are funded under four broad budget accounts: Operations and Maintenance (such

as air traffic control and aviation safety functions); Facilities and Equipment (such as control

towers and navigation beacons); grants for airports under the Airport Improvement Program

(AIP); and Research, Engineering, and Development. Some potential concerns for FAA include

the modernization of the air traffic control system, air traffic controller staffing, and aviation

safety, including airline safety and aircraft certification.

FAA programs and activities are funded primarily through the Airport and Airway Trust Fund

(AATF), a dedicated U.S. Treasury fund. Revenue sources for the AATF include passenger ticket

taxes, segment fees, air cargo fees, and fuel taxes paid by commercial and general aviation

aircraft. The majority of FAA funding comes from the AATF; supplemental appropriations

provide additional funding from the General Fund of the U.S. Treasury (general fund). P.L. 11921, the FY2025 reconciliation law, provided an additional $12.5 billion in FY2025 (available

through FY2029) for air traffic control modernization initiatives.

Congressional Research Service

Department of Transportation FY2027 Funding Request

The FAA Reauthorization Act of 2024 (P.L. 118-63) authorized AATF taxes and revenue

collections and civil aviation program expenditures through FY2028.6 Some funding for FAA was

provided by the IIJA as multiyear advance appropriations for FY2022-FY2026 (Table 3).7

Enacted FAA funding for FY2026 was about $27.2 billion. The Trump Administration’s request

for FY2027 is about $22.4 billion. This reduction reflects the absence in the FY2027 request of

funding from the general fund for a continuation of the IIJA appropriation and supplemental

annual appropriations. The President’s requested funding allocation across the four FAA funding

accounts is as follows: Operations and Maintenance (a requested increase of 4% in FY2027 from

FY2026); Grants-in-Aid to Airports or AIP (no change); Facilities and Equipment (no change);

and Research, Engineering, and Development (a requested decrease of 43% in FY2027 from

FY2026).

FAA’s workforce funded directly through appropriations had approximately 43,330 FTEs in

FY2026. The FY2027 President’s budget request seeks an increase of about 980 FTEs in FY2027

compared with FY2026 levels, largely reflecting a surge in air traffic controller hiring (Table 2).8

Table 3. Federal Aviation Administration Funding,

FY2022-FY2026 Enacted and FY2027 Requested

millions of dollars

Account

FY2022

Enacted

FY2023

Enacted

FY2024

Enacted

FY2025

Enacted

FY2026

Enacted

FY2027

Request

Operations &

Maintenance

11,414

11,915

12,730

13,483

13,710

14,192

Airport

Improvement

Program (AIP)

3,350

4,000

Facilities &

Equipment

2,893

2,945

3,191

3,176

4,000

Research,

Engineering, &

Development

249

255

280

290

165

Annual

Supplemental

Appropriations

951

559

532

577

IIJA Multiyear

Advance

Appropriations

4,998

4,629

N/A

23,855

24,022

25,081

26,017

27,206

22,357

Total

Source: CRS analysis of DOT Budget Estimates, FY2023-FY2027, https://www.transportation.gov/mission/

budget/dot-budget-and-performance-documents#BudgetEstimates.

6 For FY2018-FY2023, Airport and Airway Trust Fund taxes and revenue collections and civil aviation program

expenditures were authorized by the FAA Reauthorization Act of 2018 (P.L. 115-254).

7 Advance appropriations become available one or more fiscal years after the budget year covered by the appropriations

act. Unlike authorizations subject to future appropriations, multiyear advance appropriations do not require additional

action from Congress to become available in subsequent years.

8 DOT, Budget Estimates Fiscal Year 2027: Federal Aviation Administration, p. 5 (Exhibit 1A) and p. 7 (Exhibit 1D),

https://www.transportation.gov/sites/dot.gov/files/FAA_FY_2027_Budget_Estimates_CJ.pdf.

Congressional Research Service

Department of Transportation FY2027 Funding Request

Notes: Includes Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA; P.L. 117-58) funding for FY2022-FY2026 and

supplemental general fund appropriations, which were mostly for AIP, except that in FY2025, $50 million was for

AIP and $30 million went to Facilities & Equipment as “Spectrum Relocation Funding.” Excludes $12.5 billion in

FY2025 for air traffic control modernization appropriated by P.L. 119-21, the FY2025 reconciliation law.

Excludes rescissions, overflight fees, agency lease and sales proceeds, and $20.0 billion provided to airports in

response to COVID-19, which comprised $10.0 billion in the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security

Act (P.L. 116-136); $2.0 billion in the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021 (P.L. 116-260); and $8.0 billion in

the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (P.L. 117-2). Dollar amounts may not add to totals because of rounding.

Federal Highway Administration

Federal funding for public roads is provided primarily through highway programs administered

by FHWA. Congress periodically authorizes and provides funding for the highway programs

through surface transportation reauthorization acts.9 The most recent surface transportation

reauthorization legislation, the IIJA (P.L. 117-58), provided funding for the highway programs

from FY2022 through FY2026.10

In the IIJA, Congress funded the highway programs with both contract authority from the

Highway Trust Fund and multiyear advance appropriations from the general fund.11 Contract

authority from the Highway Trust Fund is the primary source of funding for the highway

programs. Congress has appropriated additional funds for certain highway programs in

subsequent appropriations acts. Table 4 shows FHWA funding provided in the IIJA and

appropriations acts from FY2022 through FY2026. It also shows the President’s budget request

for FY2027. The Trump Administration’s FY2027 budget request would result in a 12% decrease

in funding for FHWA from FY2026, mainly due to the discontinuation of multiyear advance

appropriations.12 Contract authority from the Highway Trust Fund is requested to increase by 2%,

the same year-to-year increase in contract authority provided under the IIJA from FY2022

through FY2026.13 The Trump Administration also requests an appropriation of $1.5 billion from

the general fund. In FY2022-FY2026, Congress provided the highway programs with between

$340 million and $3.4 billion per fiscal year in annual appropriations.

9 For more on highway issues in surface transportation reauthorization, see CRS Report R48845, Surface

Transportation Reauthorization: Federal Highway Programs, by Ali E. Lohman.

10 DOT, Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), Highway Authorizations Under the Infrastructure Investment and

Jobs Act (P.L. 117-58), November 30, 2021, https://www.fhwa.dot.gov/infrastructure-investment-and-jobs-act/docs/

highway_authorizations_nov302021.pdf.

11 The IIJA was the first surface transportation authorization act to include multiyear advance appropriations.

12 CRS calculation based on analysis of DOT Budget Estimates, FY2026-FY2027, https://www.transportation.gov/

mission/budget/dot-budget-and-performance-documents#BudgetEstimates.

13 CRS calculation based on analysis of DOT Budget Estimates, FY2023-FY2027.

Congressional Research Service

Department of Transportation FY2027 Funding Request

Table 4. Federal Highway Administration Funding,

FY2022-FY2026 Enacted and FY2027 Requested

millions of dollars

FY2022

Enacteda

FY2023

Enacted

FY2024

Enacted

FY2025

Enactedb

FY2026

Enactedc

FY2027

Request

Contract Authority

58,173

59,469

60,801

62,019

63,363

64,678

Multiyear Advance

Appropriations

9,454

—

Annual Appropriations

5,045

4,221

2,025

8,427

927

1,484

Highway Infrastructure

Programs

2,445

3,418

2,025

341

927

1,484

Emergency Relief Funds

2,600

803

8,086

200d

1,469e

Transferred from FHWA

200

1,094

Transferred from FMCSA

Transferred from OST

255

Transferred from PHMSA

100

72,672

73,144

72,480

79,900

75,213

66,162

Transferred funds

Total

Source: CRS analysis of DOT Budget Estimates, FY2023-FY2027, https://www.transportation.gov/mission/

budget/dot-budget-and-performance-documents#BudgetEstimates; IIJA (P.L. 117-58); Consolidated

Appropriations Act, 2021 (P.L. 116-260); Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2022 (P.L. 117-103); Consolidated

Appropriations Act, 2023 (P.L. 117-328); Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2024 (P.L. 118-42); Full-Year

Continuing Appropriations and Extensions Act, 2025 (P.L. 119-4); and Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2026

(P.L. 119-75).

Notes: Amounts may not add to totals because of rounding. FMCSA = Federal Motor Carrier Safety

Administration; OST = Office of the Secretary; PHMSA = Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety

Administration.

a. Excludes funding provided by P.L. 117-169, the 2022 reconciliation law.

b. Excludes unobligated funds rescinded by P.L. 119-21, the 2025 reconciliation law, for the Neighborhood

Access and Equity Program, Low-Carbon Transportation Materials Grants, and Environmental Review

Implementation Funds.

c. Excludes unobligated funds rescinded and made newly available for obligation by P.L. 119-75. Affected

programs are the Nationally Significant Multimodal Freight and Highway Projects Program (INFRA), the

Bridge Investment Program, and the competitive discretionary Promoting Resilient Operations for

Transformative, Efficient, and Cost-Saving Transportation Program (PROTECT).

d. P.L. 118-42 transferred $200 million from unobligated funds previously appropriated for FHWA’s

Transportation Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act Program.

e. P.L. 119-75 transferred funds that had been made available for obligation between FY2022 and FY2026, but

the act did not specify how much funding was transferred from each fiscal year. If any of the funds

transferred from FHWA programs were first made available in FY2026, it would affect the funding totals for

that fiscal year.

As in the FY2026 President’s budget request, the FY2027 President’s request proposes to cancel

unobligated balances from prior years for the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI)

Formula Program and the Charging and Fueling Infrastructure (CFI) Grant Program, two federal

highway programs focused on electric vehicle charging infrastructure. In February 2026, after

publication of the FY2026 President’s budget request and before publication of the FY2027

President’s request, Congress passed the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2026 (P.L. 119-75).

Congressional Research Service

Department of Transportation FY2027 Funding Request

Among other things, this act transferred $879 million14 in unobligated funds from the NEVI

Formula Program to other highway programs and activities.15 The FY2027 President’s budget

request would cancel $2.7 billion in unobligated NEVI funds and $1.6 billion in unobligated CFI

funds.16

The Trump Administration proposes appropriating $770 million from the general fund for the

Nationally Significant Multimodal Freight and Highway Program, also known as INFRA. Under

the IIJA, INFRA received each fiscal year $1.0 billion from the Highway Trust Fund and $640

million in multiyear advance appropriations.

The Trump Administration also proposes appropriating from the general fund $714 million for the

Bridge Replacement and Rehabilitation Program, also known as the Bridge Formula Program.

Under the IIJA, the Bridge Formula Program received $5.5 billion per fiscal year in multiyear

advance appropriations.17 The FY2027 President’s budget request would result in an 87%

decrease in funding for the Bridge Formula Program.18

The FY2027 President’s budget request for FHWA FTEs is 2,146, about 50 fewer FTEs than in

FY2026. Some of this proposed reduction reflects a request to consolidate some functions in

OST. A workforce of 2,146 would be a reduction of 750 FTEs from FY2025 (a decrease of 26%)

(Table 2).19

Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration

FMCSA was established in 2000 to improve highway safety through regulation of equipment and

operating standards for commercial motor vehicle operators. The IIJA authorized funding for

FMCSA from FY2022 through FY2026. As with previous authorization acts, the IIJA provided

budget authority mainly in the form of contract authority, with funds drawn from the Highway

account of the Highway Trust Fund. The IIJA also provided funding through multiyear advance

appropriations from the general fund. FMCSA has not received annual appropriations over the

FY2022-FY2026 period (Table 5).

The President’s FY2027 request for FMCSA totals $946 million in contract authority, with no

multiyear advance appropriations as provided in FY2022-FY2026. This would be a 2% increase

in contract authority and an 11% decrease overall from the FY2026 funding level. According to

DOT, FMCSA’s workforce in FY2026 was 1,151 FTEs. The Administration is proposing to

increase staffing from 1,151 FTEs in FY2026 to 1,189 FTEs in FY2027, a 3% increase (Table 2).

Most FMCSA FTEs are funded by contract authority, so staffing is generally not affected by the

14 Of the $879 million in transferred funds, $504 million was from FY2022 funding for the National Electric Vehicle

Infrastructure (NEVI) Formula Program, $75 million was from NEVI funds set aside for the Joint Office of Energy and

Transportation, and $300 million was from the NEVI set-aside for state and local governments that required additional

assistance.

15 P.L. 119-75 (see paragraphs 1(B)-(D) under Department of Transportation, Federal Highway Administration,

Highway Infrastructure Programs).

16 DOT, Fiscal Year 2027 Budget Highlights, p. 20, https://www.transportation.gov/sites/dot.gov/files/

DOT_FY_2027_Budget_Highlights.pdf.

17 P.L. 117-58, Division J, Title VIII (see paragraph 1 under Department of Transportation, Federal Highway

Administration, Highway Infrastructure Programs).

18 CRS calculation.

19 CRS analysis of DOT Budget Estimates, FY2023-FY2027.

Congressional Research Service

Department of Transportation FY2027 Funding Request

lack of multiyear appropriations. For FY2027, the Office of Safety would account for 80% of

FMCSA’s staff.20

Table 5. Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration Funding,

FY2022-FY2026 Enacted and FY2027 Requested

millions of dollars

Contract Authority

FY2022

Enacted

FY2023

Enacted

FY2024

Enacted

FY2025

Enacted

FY2026

Enacted

FY2027

Request

856

874

927

909

932a

946

135b

IIJA Multiyear Advance

Appropriations

135

135b

Annual Appropriations

991

1,008

1,062

1,044

1,066

946

Total

Source: CRS analysis of DOT Budget Estimates, FY2023-FY2027, https://www.transportation.gov/mission/

budget/dot-budget-and-performance-documents#BudgetEstimates; advance appropriations from IIJA (P.L. 11758); contract authority and annual appropriations from Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2022 (P.L. 117-103);

Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2023 (P.L. 117-328); Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2024 (P.L. 118-42);

Full-Year Continuing Appropriations and Extensions Act, 2025 (P.L. 119-4); Consolidated Appropriations Act,

2026 (P.L. 119-75); and Joint Explanatory Statements in the Congressional Record.

Notes: Amounts may not add to totals because of rounding.

a. P.L. 119-75 made an additional $5 million in prior year unobligated contract authority available for the

Commercial Motor Vehicle Enforcement Training and Support grant program, raising the obligation

limitation in FY2026 from $927 million to $932 million.

b. P.L. 119-75 transferred $20 million in unobligated balances of amounts previously appropriated for FY2025

and FY2026 under the heading ‘‘Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration—Motor Carrier Safety

Operations and Program’’ in Division J, Title VIII, of P.L. 117-58 to the Federal Highway Administration’s

Highway Infrastructure Programs account.

Federal Railroad Administration

FRA provides funding to monitor and enforce compliance with rail safety regulations, conduct

rail research and development, subsidize the capital and operating expenses of the National

Railroad Passenger Corporation (Amtrak), and award grants to improve passenger and freight rail

infrastructure, service, and equipment.

The FRA Safety and Operations account supports the agency’s headquarters staff and its safety

management teams distributed across the country. FRA administers annual funding for Amtrak,

which is divided into separate grants for the Northeast Corridor (the line connecting Boston, New

York City, and Washington, DC) and the National Network (including short-distance routes that

receive operating support from states and long-distance routes fully funded by Amtrak). FRA

administers numerous grant programs that make funding available for states and/or rail carriers to

improve or expand their infrastructure. These include the Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and

Safety Improvement (CRISI) grant program established by the Fixing America’s Surface

Transportation Act (P.L. 114-94; FAST Act), which can fund a wide variety of rail projects, and

the Federal-State Partnership for Intercity Passenger Rail program (FSP; also called the National

Rail Partnership) established by the IIJA, which is limited to projects that improve or expand

intercity passenger—as opposed to commuter or freight—rail service.

20 DOT Budget Estimates, FY2023-FY2027.

Congressional Research Service

Department of Transportation FY2027 Funding Request

Unlike the authorizations for highways and public transportation, the authorization for freight and

passenger rail does not provide contract authority; until the IIJA was enacted, all rail programs

relied exclusively on annual appropriations. The IIJA provided a large nominal increase in annual

federal funding for rail programs when compared with amounts appropriated pursuant to the

previous authorizing legislation (the FAST Act) and provided $66.0 billion in multiyear advance

appropriations for Amtrak and several competitive discretionary grant programs from FY2022 to

FY2026.21

The President’s FY2027 budget request includes $2.8 billion in annual appropriations for FRA

programs, an increase of $817 million from the $2.0 billion appropriated in FY2026.22 FY2026

appropriations included a rescission of $929 million that was originally appropriated for highspeed rail development grants in FY2010; not counting this rescission, annual appropriations

would instead decrease by $112 million relative to FY2026. Overall funding for Amtrak would be

reduced from $2.4 billion to $2.1 billion, with a $200 million reduction in the Northeast Corridor

allocation (reducing it to $650 million, a 24% decrease) and a $127 million reduction for the

National Network (reducing it to $1.5 billion, an 8% decrease).23 Amtrak does not intend to

publish a separate budget request for FY2027 as it has in the past. Amtrak’s FY2024-FY2029

“Five-Year Plans” for Service and Asset Lines appear to assume a larger federal funding

commitment than what is included in the FY2027 President’s budget request.24 Funding levels for

FRA Safety and Operations in the President’s FY2027 budget request are proposed to be

increased by $6 million, while Research and Development funding is proposed to be reduced by

$14 million to $26 million, which would be its lowest level (in nominal terms) since FY2001.

The President’s FY2027 budget requests $300 million for the CRISI program and $100 million

for the Railroad Crossing Elimination program established by the IIJA, with no additional funds

requested for FSP or other programs. In FY2026, in addition to the final year of advance

appropriations from the IIJA, Congress appropriated roughly $135 million for CRISI, $64 million

for FSP, and no funding for Railroad Crossing Elimination. The CRISI program is popular among

smaller freight railroad companies looking to upgrade their infrastructure or equipment.25 Capital

projects to support intercity passenger rail service are eligible uses of CRISI funds as are projects

to improve safety at railroad crossings, including by eliminating the crossing. In the absence of

funds dedicated for those specific purposes, FRA and the Secretary would be able to exercise

discretion in awarding grant funds among passenger, freight, or safety projects that meet

eligibility criteria, potentially reducing available funding for some project types. Projects

identified as part of corridor plans funded through the Corridor Identification and Development

program established by the IIJA are set to be entitled to receive selection priority under FSP but

not under other programs. The FY2027 President’s budget request does not include any multiyear

21 P.L. 117-58, Division J.

DOT, Budget Estimates FY2027: Federal Railroad Administration, p. 6, https://www.transportation.gov/sites/

dot.gov/files/FRA_FY_2027_Budget_Estimates_CJ.pdf.

23 DOT, Budget Estimates FY2027: Federal Railroad Administration, p. 5, https://www.transportation.gov/sites/

dot.gov/files/FRA_FY_2027_Budget_Estimates_CJ.pdf.

24 Amtrak, Amtrak FY24-29 Five Year Service and Asset Line Plans, p. 161, https://www.amtrak.com/content/dam/

projects/dotcom/english/public/documents/corporate/businessplanning/Amtrak-Service-Asset-Line-Plans-FY24-29.pdf.

25 Testimony of Chuck Baker, president, American Short Line and Regional Railroad Association, in U.S. Congress,

House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, Subcommittee on Railroads, Pipelines, and Hazardous

Materials, American Builds: Examining America’s Freight and Passenger Rail Network, hearing, 119th Cong., 1st sess.,

January 23, 2025, https://transportation.house.gov/uploadedfiles/01-23-2025_rph_hearing_-_chuck_baker__testimony.pdf.

Congressional Research Service

Department of Transportation FY2027 Funding Request

advance appropriations for rail programs, and FY2026 was the final year such funding was made

available under the IIJA (Table 6).26

FRA staffing grew from 893 FTEs in FY2022 to 1,112 FTEs in FY2025 as its portfolio of

programs expanded, before decreasing to 1,010 FTEs in FY2026.27 The President’s FY2027

budget proposes a further reduction to 997 FTEs, a reduction of 13 FTEs (or 1%) relative to the

previous year, and 115 FTEs (or 10%) relative to the FY2025 peak (Table 2).

Table 6. Federal Railroad Administration Funding,

FY2022-FY2026 Enacted and FY2027 Requested

millions of dollars

FY2022

Enacted

FY2023

Enacted

FY2024

Enacted

FY2025

Enacted

FY2026

Enacted

FY2027

Request

13,200

12,892

Amtrak (Northeast Corridor)

1,200

Amtrak (National Network)

3,200

Consolidated Rail

Infrastructure and Safety

Improvement (CRISI)

1,000

980

Railroad Crossing Elimination

600

Federal-State Partnership for

Intercity Passenger Rail (FSP)

7,200

6,912

Annual Appropriations

3,325

3,402

2,970

2,925

1,980

2,797

Safety and Operations

241

250

268

265

271

Research and Development

Amtrak (Northeast Corridor)

875

1,260

1,141

850

650

Amtrak (National Network)

1,457

1,193

1,286

1,577

1,450

625

560

199

100

135

300

100

FSP

100

Rescissions

(15)

(3)

(53)

(950)

16,525

16,602

16,170

16,125

14,872

2,797

IIJA Multiyear Advanced

Appropriations

CRISI

Railroad Crossing Elimination

Total

Source: CRS analysis of FRA Budget Estimates, FY2023-FY2027.

Notes: Table does not reflect internal transfers for program oversight and technical assistance or to the DOT

Office of Inspector General and Amtrak Office of Inspector General. Table reflects partial transfer of funds from

Multiyear Advance Appropriations to Annual Appropriations accounts in FY2026. Parentheses indicate negative

numbers (rescissions). Amounts may not add to totals because of rounding.

26 DOT, Budget Estimates FY2027: Federal Railroad Administration, p. 5, https://www.transportation.gov/sites/

dot.gov/files/FRA_FY_2027_Budget_Estimates_CJ.pdf.

27 CRS analysis of FRA Budget Estimates, FY2022-FY2027.

Congressional Research Service

Department of Transportation FY2027 Funding Request

Federal Transit Administration

Federal funding assistance to public transportation agencies is provided primarily through the

public transportation programs administered by FTA.28 The Trump Administration’s request for

FTA in FY2027 would be a 22% reduction from the amount provided in FY2026. The reduction

primarily would be due to not requesting a continuation of multiyear advance appropriations

provided in the IIJA ($4.9 billion in FY2026). The request includes $15.0 billion in contract

authority (with funds drawn from the Mass Transit account of the Highway Trust Fund) that

would be provided in surface transportation legislation, a 2% increase from FY2026, and $1.4

billion in annual appropriations, 27% less than in FY2026 (Table 7). The FY2027 annual

appropriations request would reduce funding for the CIG program (49 U.S.C. §5309) to $1.2

billion, a 29% reduction, and eliminate funding for other purposes, including Transit

Infrastructure Grants and Technical Assistance and Training funding. In FY2026, Transit

Infrastructure Grants provided funding for ferries, community project funding/congressionally

directed spending, and transit agency operating expenses related to safety, among other things.

The FY2027 request would maintain annual appropriations for the Washington Metropolitan Area

Transit Authority (WMATA) at $150 million.

According to DOT, FTA’s workforce in FY2026 was 552 FTEs. The budget request proposes to

reduce staff to 547 FTEs in FY2027. This would be a smaller workforce than existed in FY2024

when FTA had 781 FTEs (Table 2).29

Table 7. Federal Transit Administration Funding,

FY2022-FY2026 Enacted and FY2027 Requested

millions of dollars

FY2022

Enacted

FY2023

Enacteda

FY2024

Enacted

FY2025

Enacted

FY2026

Enacted

FY2027

Request

Contract Authority

13,355

13,634

13,990

14,279

14,642

14,950

IIJA Multiyear Advance

Appropriations

4,250

4,393b

Annual Appropriations

2,910

3,334

2,615

2,408

1,881

1,365

2,248

2,635

2,205

1,700

1,215

WMATA

150

Other

512

549

260

Total

20,515

21,218

20,855

20,937

20,915

16,315

Capital Investment Grant

Source: CRS analysis of DOT Budget Estimates, FY2023-FY2027; Senate appropriations reports, FY2023FY2026; IIJA (P.L. 117-58); Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2022 (P.L. 117-103); Consolidated Appropriations

Act, 2023 (P.L. 117-328); Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2024 (P.L. 118-42); Full-Year Continuing

Appropriations and Extensions Act, 2025 (P.L. 119-4); and Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2026 (P.L. 119-75).

Notes: Amounts may not add to totals because of rounding. Does not include funding transferred from the

Federal Highway Administration for public transportation projects. Does not include rescissions of budget

authority from prior years. WMATA = Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority.

28 CRS Report R47002, Federal Public Transportation Program: In Brief, by William J. Mallett.

29 DOT, Budget Estimates FY2027: Federal Transit Administration, pp. FTA-3, FTA-4,

https://www.transportation.gov/sites/dot.gov/files/FTA_FY_2027_Budget_Estimates_CJ.pdf; and DOT, Budget

Estimates FY2025: Federal Transit Administration, p. FTA-4, https://www.transportation.gov/sites/dot.gov/files/202403/FTA_FY2025-Budget-Estimates.pdf.

Congressional Research Service

Department of Transportation FY2027 Funding Request

Excludes $554 million provided for the Public Transportation Emergency Relief Program in the

Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2023 (P.L. 117-328).

P.L. 119-75 transferred $188 million in unobligated balances of amounts previously appropriated in Division

J, Title VIII, of P.L. 117-58. Of this amount, $50 million was unobligated balances of Federal Transit

Administration programs, and $138 million was unobligated balances of Federal Railroad Administration

Federal-State Partnership for Intercity Passenger Rail Grants.

Great Lakes St. Lawrence Seaway Development

Corporation

GLSDC is a wholly owned government corporation that operates and maintains two locks on the

St. Lawrence Seaway at Massena, NY, as well as other aspects of navigation infrastructure.

(Canada owns and operates the other 13 locks on the seaway.) GLSDC’s budget is entirely funded

from the Harbor Maintenance Tax, which is an ad valorem tax on imported and domestic cargo

shipped through U.S. coastal and Great Lakes ports.

Steel manufacturers are the primary users of the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence waterways, using

the waterways to ship iron ore from northern Minnesota mines to steel plants located on southern

shores of the Great Lakes and to import intermediate steel products through the seaway. Cargo

volumes are in long-term decline largely because waterborne shipment of iron ore is no longer

advantageous to newer methods of steelmaking that use scrap metal shipped by rail and truck.30

Although Lake Erie is in proximity to Marcellus Shale natural gas production, this has not led to a

boom in shipping gas from Lake Erie ports as it has for other U.S. ports. The Marcellus Shale gas

is transported from western Pennsylvania by pipeline to the Port of Philadelphia, and natural gas

has displaced the need for shipping coal on the Great Lakes, traditionally the second leading

commodity after iron ore. The locks are closed in the winter due to ice and for repair and

maintenance.

The President’s FY2027 budget request for GLSDC is $50 million, a 31% increase from FY2026

(Table 8). The request includes a $9 million increase for GLSDC’s infrastructure, 56% more than

in FY2026. Requested FTE’s for FY2027 are 128, which would be an increase from 125 in

FY2026 (Table 2).

Table 8. Great Lakes St. Lawrence Seaway Development Corporation

millions of dollars

Line Item

FY2022

Enacted

FY2023

Enacted

FY2024

Enacted

FY2025

Enacted

FY2026

Enacted

FY2027

Request

Operation

and

Maintenance

Infrastructure

Total

Source: CRS analysis of DOT Budget Estimates, FY2023-FY2027; and House Appropriations Committee

reports, FY2023-FY2027.

Note: Amounts may not add to totals because of rounding.

30 For more about the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Seaway and shipping along it, see CRS Report R44664, The Great

Lakes-St. Lawrence Seaway Navigation System: Options for Growth, by John Frittelli; and CRS Report R47550,

Shipping on the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Seaway: An Update, by John Frittelli.

Congressional Research Service

Department of Transportation FY2027 Funding Request

Maritime Administration

MARAD supports the U.S.-flag ocean shipping fleet and U.S. commercial shipyards; thus the

agency is central to the President’s goal of revitalizing the U.S. maritime industry.31 The

President’s FY2027 request proposes the creation of a Maritime Security Trust Fund that would

provide an additional $1.4 billion to the agency. Most of this $1.4 billion would supplement

discretionary funding to existing MARAD programs; $250 million would fund a new grant

program for large shipyards (shipyards with more than 1,200 employees) (Table 9). Specifics of

how revenue would be raised for the trust fund are not provided in the budget request other than

stating the trust fund “would receive revenue from a variety of existing sources, including various

existing maritime related taxes, duties, penalties, and fees.”32 A bill in the 119th Congress also

calls for creation of such a trust fund, including specific taxes or fees to support it.33

The President’s FY2027 budget request also seeks a large increase in grants for small shipyards

(shipyards with fewer than 1,200 employees).34 This request is consistent with the President’s

goal of reviving commercial shipbuilding, although the requested increase for the Title XI loan

program is for administering the program, not for expanding the loan portfolio.

The President also is proposing to double the size of the U.S.-flag tanker security fleet, from 10

tankers to 20 tankers, with a $168 million request. These are privately owned tankers that carry

fuel for the military. The funding is designed to offset the higher cost of sailing under U.S. flag

with U.S. crews and would be provided as an annual operating subsidy to enrolled carriers.35 The

FY2027 budget request also includes a $48 million increase for the federal Merchant Marine

Academy to be used for both capital improvements and operating expenses.

Another stated objective of the Trump Administration has been to expedite the approval process

for offshore oil tanker loading terminals (also known as “deepwater ports”), for which MARAD

is the approving agency.36 MARAD is mentioned as receiving additional FTEs in the Operating

account. Deepwater ports consist of an offshore pipeline to load and unload tankers too large for

harbor transit.

The proposed FTE increase from 922 in FY2026 to 982 in FY2027 would be largely for staffing

the strategic sealift office (40 FTE increase) and specifically the Ready Reserve Force, which is a

fleet of inactive, standby government-owned cargo ships to be used for rapid military surge

deployment in the event of a national contingency (Table 2). The budget request does not indicate

a reason for the requested FTE increase for the Ready Reserve Force.37

31 Executive Order 14269 of April 9, 2025, “Restoring America’s Maritime Dominance,” 90 Federal Register 15635

April 15, 2025, https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2025/04/15/2025-06465/restoring-americas-maritimedominance; and White House, America’s Maritime Action Plan, February 2026, https://www.whitehouse.gov/wpcontent/uploads/2026/02/Restoring-Americas-Maritime-Dominance.pdf.

32 DOT, Budget Estimates FY2027: Maritime Administration, p. 5, https://www.transportation.gov/sites/dot.gov/files/

MARAD_FY_2027_Budget_Estimates_CJ.pdf.

33 SHIPS for America Act of 2025 (H.R. 3151, S. 1541).

34 Maritime Administration (MARAD), “Grants & Loans,” https://www.maritime.dot.gov/grants-finances/smallshipyard-grants.

35 For further information, see CRS Report R46654, U.S. Maritime Administration (MARAD) Shipping and

Shipbuilding Support Programs, by Ben Goldman.

36 MARAD, “Deepwater Ports and Licensing,” https://www.maritime.dot.gov/ports/deepwater-ports-and-licensing/

approved-applications.

37 For information on MARAD staffing, see U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO), Maritime Administration:

(continued...)

Congressional Research Service

Department of Transportation FY2027 Funding Request

Table 9. Maritime Administration

millions of dollars

Line Item

FY2022

Enacted

Operations and

Training

FY2023

Enacted

FY2024

Enacted

FY2025

Enacted

FY2026

Enacted

FY2027

Request

172

213

268

276

333

U.S. Merchant

Marine Academy

132

185

202

250

Maritime

Environmental and

Technical

Assistance

Marine Highway

Program

State Maritime

Academies

423

121

126

139

Training Ships

(NSMMV)

381

110

Small shipyard

grants

105

Ship disposal

Maritime Security

Fleet

318

390

401

Cable Security Fleet

Tanker Security

Fleet

168

Title XI Guaranteed

Loan program

Port Infrastructure

Development

Program (PIDP)

grants

234

212

121

103

PIDP, IIJA Multiyear

Advance

Appropriations

450

Marine Hwys., IIJA

Multiyear Advance

Appropriations

National Defense

Reserve Fleet

Maritime Security

Trust Fund

1,412a

1,726

1,413

1,433

1,350

1,932

2,566

Total

Actions Needed to Help Address Workforce Challenges, GAO-25-107460, February 2025, https://www.gao.gov/assets/

gao-25-107460.pdf.

Congressional Research Service

Department of Transportation FY2027 Funding Request

Source: CRS analysis of DOT Budget Estimates, FY2023-FY2027, https://www.transportation.gov/mission/

budget/dot-budget-and-performance-documents#BudgetEstimates; and House Appropriations Committee

reports, FY2023-FY2027.

Notes: NSMMV = National Security Multi-Mission Vessel. Table does not include rescissions. Amounts may not

add to totals because of rounding.

a. The President’s FY2027 budget request proposes the creation of a Maritime Security Trust Fund.

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration

NHTSA is responsible for motor vehicle safety, highway safety, behavioral safety programs,

motor vehicle information, and automobile fuel economy programs.38 NHTSA conducts research

to inform safety standards on various timelines. NHTSA studies and rulemakings sometimes do

not meet the deadlines set by Congress.39 As technologies and designs of vehicles advance,

NHTSA seeks to maintain regulations and programs at a pace that aligns with industry

advancement.40

The IIJA provided NHTSA with contract authority from the Highway Trust Fund and

supplemental multiyear advance appropriations from the general fund for FY2022-FY2026.

NHTSA also has received annual appropriations. The Trump Administration’s FY2027 budget

request of $1.3 billion would be an 11% decrease from the amount provided in FY2026 (Table

10).41 The request includes a proposed $22 million increase in amounts provided in contract

authority and a $12 million increase annual appropriations compared with FY2026. Unlike in

previous budget requests, there was no specific request for annual appropriations for rulemaking,

enforcement, and research and analysis. The FY2027 funding request does not include advance

appropriations, which provided $193 million in FY2026.

According to DOT, NHTSA’s staff in FY2026 was 590 FTEs. The Trump Administration

proposes staffing levels of 544 FTEs in FY2027 (Table 2). The number of FTEs at NHTSA was

762 in FY2025, up from 646 FTEs in FY2022. NHTSA has previously cited resources, funding,

and workforce as factors that may affect the agency’s ability to meet deadlines set by Congress to

complete rulemakings, reports, and safety research.42

38 National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), “Laws and Regulations,” https://www.nhtsa.gov/laws-

regulations; 49 U.S.C. §301; 49 U.S.C. §303; 49 U.S.C. §321; 49 U.S.C. §325; 49 U.S.C. §327; 49 U.S.C. §329; and

49 U.S.C. §331.

39 GAO, Traffic Safety: Implementing Leading Practices Could Improve Management of Mandated Rulemakings and

Reports, GAO-22-104635, April 26, 2022, https://www.gao.gov/products/gao-22-104635; Kris Van Cleave, “NHTSA

Is Over 5 Months Late in Meeting Deadline to Strengthen Car Seats,” CBS News, April 3, 2024,

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/nhtsa-is-over-five-months-late-in-meeting-deadline-to-strengthen-car-seats/; and

Letter from Sen. Edward J Markey et al., to Sophie Shulman, deputy administrator, NHTSA, November 20, 2024,

https://www.markey.senate.gov/download/nhtsa-traffic-safety-letter.

40 NHTSA Administrator Jonathan Morrison, “2026 SAE Conference Keynote,” as prepared for delivery at SAE

Government/Industry Meeting, January 21, 2026, https://www.nhtsa.gov/speeches-and-presentations/2026-SAEConference-Keynote.

41 DOT, NHTSA Budget Estimates, FY2022-FY2027.

42 NHTSA, Report to Congress: NHTSA Rulemakings Related to Automated Driving System-Equipped Vehicles, May

2024, https://www.nhtsa.gov/sites/nhtsa.gov/files/2024-05/Report-to-Congress-NHTSA-Rulemakings-Related-toAutomated-Driving-System-Equipped-Vehicles.pdf; NHTSA, Report to Congress: Rulemaking Status Report,

December 2024, https://www.nhtsa.gov/sites/nhtsa.gov/files/2024-12/report-congress-status-rulemakings-december2024.pdf; and GAO, Traffic Safety, GAO-22-104635.

Congressional Research Service

Department of Transportation FY2027 Funding Request

Table 10. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration,

FY2022-FY2026 Enacted and FY2027 Requested

millions of dollars

FY2022

Enacted

FY2023

Enacted

FY2024

Enacted

FY2025

Enacted

FY2026

Enacted

FY2027

Request

Contract Authority

(Operations & Research)

193

197

201

205

210

214

Contract Authority

(Highway Safety Grants)

774

795

813

831

850

867

Multiyear Advance

Appropriations

(IIJA Supplemental)

322

193

Annual Appropriations

(Operations & Research)

200

210

223

200

212

1,489

1,524

1,559

1,582

1,452

1,293

Total

Source: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), “Laws and Regulations,”

https://www.nhtsa.gov/laws-regulations; 49 U.S.C. §301; 49 U.S.C. §303; 49 U.S.C. §321; 49 U.S.C. §325; 49

U.S.C. §327; 49 U.S.C. §329; 49 U.S.C. §331; and CRS analysis of DOT Budget Estimates, FY2023-FY2027,

https://www.transportation.gov/mission/budget/dot-budget-and-performance-documents#BudgetEstimates;

Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2022 (P.L. 117-103); Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2023 (P.L. 117-328 );

Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2024 (P.L. 118-42 ); Full-Year Continuing Appropriations and Extensions Act,

2025 (P.L. 119-4 ); and Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2026 (P.L. 119-75).

Notes: Amounts may not add to totals because of rounding. Transfers from the Federal Highway Administration

to NHTSA are excluded from the table.

Office of Inspector General

OIG conducts independent audits, investigations, and evaluations of DOT programs and

operations, including contracts and grants. OIG is funded by annual appropriations and from

FY2022 to FY2026, also was funded in part by a transfer of multiyear advance appropriations

(IIJA, Division J) from other accounts. In total, OIG funding in FY2026 was $117 million. The

Trump Administration has requested $105 million for FY2027, an 11% decrease (Table 11). OIG

had 380 FTEs in FY2026. The Trump Administration is requesting 350 FTEs in FY2026 (Table

2).43

Table 11. Office of Inspector General Funding, FY2022-FY2026

Enacted and FY2027 Requested

millions of dollars

FY2022

Enacted

Multiyear Advance

Appropriations

FY2023

Enacted

FY2024

Enacted

FY2025

Enacted

FY2026

Enacted

FY2027

Request

Annual Appropriations

103

108

117

113

105

Total

108

112

121

117

105

43 DOT, Office of Inspector General Budget Estimates, FY2023-FY2027, https://www.transportation.gov/mission/

budget/dot-budget-and-performance-documents#BudgetEstimates.

Congressional Research Service

Department of Transportation FY2027 Funding Request

Source: CRS analysis of DOT Budget Estimates, FY2023-FY2027, https://www.transportation.gov/mission/

budget/dot-budget-and-performance-documents#BudgetEstimates.

Note: Amounts may not add to totals because of rounding.

Office of the Secretary

The Secretary of Transportation leads DOT and is the principal adviser to the President on

transportation and federal transportation programs. OST develops and oversees national

transportation policy and administers some grant, research, and credit programs. OST is funded

by contract authority and annual appropriations. OST received multiyear advance appropriations

in FY2022-FY2026 (IIJA, Division J).

The Trump Administration has requested $1.0 billion for OST in FY2027, down from $5.3 billion

in FY2026 (Table 12).44 Most of the reduction would result from the President’s budget not

requesting funding for the multimodal programs funded with multiyear advance appropriations in

Division J of the IIJA. Some of the decrease relates to the programs funded from the Highway

Trust Fund, which amounted to $359 million in FY2026 and for which the FY2027 request is $0.

DOT notes that FY2027 funding is dependent on surface transportation reauthorization.45 The

request does not include annual appropriations for the National Infrastructure Investment

programs MEGA and BUILD, which provide competitive grants for a wide variety of

transportation projects. The request proposes a reduction in the appropriation for Payments to Air

Carriers, which helps fund the EAS program, from $514 million in FY2026 to $142 million in

FY2027. The EAS program provides subsidies to airlines to provide service in certain small

communities.

As in the FY2026 budget request, the FY2027 request proposes to consolidate the functions of the

Office of Civil Rights and the Office of Small and Disadvantaged Business Utilization and

Outreach into OST’s Salaries and Expenses account (included in “Other” in Table 12). There is a

proposed increase for Cybersecurity Initiatives to address threats to DOT’s information

technology and industrial control systems. The President’s budget also proposes no new funding

for the Rural and Tribal Infrastructure Advancement Program. The President’s budget includes

$403 million for a new “DC Safe and Beautiful Fund” and $60 million for DOT headquarters

building consolidation.

FTEs in OST for FY2027 are requested to be 2,228, up from 1,763 in FY2026 (Table 2).

According to DOT, this increase is requested to consolidate support functions into OST, such as

human resources, information technology, procurement, government affairs, and communications

and civil rights.

44 These amounts exclude reimbursable accounts for Salaries and Expenses, the Volpe Center Working Capital Fund,

the Office of the Secretary’s Working Capital Fund, and the Transportation Safety Institute. They also exclude

Essential Air Service program funding provided by overflight fees collected by FAA.

45 See, for example, DOT, Budget Estimates FY2027: Office of the Secretary of Transportation, Exhibit II-1.2, footnote

3, https://www.transportation.gov/sites/dot.gov/files/OST_FY_2027_Budget_Estimates_CJ.pdf.

Congressional Research Service

Department of Transportation FY2027 Funding Request

Table 12. Office of the Secretary Funding, FY2022-FY2026

Enacted and FY2027 Requested

millions of dollars

FY2022

Enacted

FY2023

Enacted

FY2024

Enacted

FY2025

Enacted

FY2026

Enacted

FY2027

Request

Contract Authority

356

357

358

359

IIJA Multiyear Advance

Appropriations

3,839

Annual Appropriations

1,448

1,523

1,070

1,168

1,054

976

Research and Technology

National Infrastructure Invest.

775

800

345

145

Payments to Air Carriers

350

355

349

450

514

142

Cybersecurity Initiatives

Rural and Tribal Infra.

Office of Civil Rights

Small and Disadvantaged

Bus.

Planning, Research, Develop.

DC Safe & Beautiful Fund

403

DOT HQ Building

Consolidation

185

214

206

202

234

5,643

5,719

5,267

5,366

5,252

976

Other

Total

Source: CRS analysis of DOT Budget Estimates, FY2023-FY2027, https://www.transportation.gov/mission/

budget/dot-budget-and-performance-documents#BudgetEstimates.

Notes: These amounts exclude reimbursable accounts for Salaries and Expenses, the Volpe Center Working

Capital Fund, the Office of the Secretary’s (OST’s) Working Capital Fund, and the Transportation Safety

Institute. They also exclude Essential Air Service program funding provided by overflight fees collected by the

Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and funding transferred from FAA for the Small Community Air Service

Development Program. Amounts may not add to totals because of rounding.

a. DOT notes that FY2027 funding is dependent on surface transportation reauthorization. See DOT, OST

Budget Estimates, FY2027.

b. Funding requested for the Office of Civil Rights and the Office of Small and Small and Disadvantaged

Business Utilization is included as part of salaries and expenses in “Other.”

Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety

Administration

PHMSA is responsible for pipeline safety and the safe transport of hazardous materials (hazmat)

by all transportation modes. The President is requesting $350 million for FY2027, 23% less than

FY2026 (Table 13). The President’s budget request does not include a continuation of multiyear

advance appropriations provided in Division J of the IIJA for FY2022-FY2026. The President’s

Congressional Research Service

Department of Transportation FY2027 Funding Request

budget request is proposing to reduce FTEs by 21, from 558 in FY2026 to 537 in FY2027, mostly

in PHMSA’s administration and financial offices (Table 2).46

PHMSA is primarily responsible for the formulation, administration, and oversight of onshore

pipeline safety regulations in the United States. The agency carries out such responsibilities

through its Office of Pipeline Safety, which oversees pipeline operators, supports state pipeline

safety agencies, and cooperates with other federal agencies that have pipeline safety

responsibilities, among other duties. In executing its pipeline safety functions, PHMSA conducts

programmatic inspections of management systems and procedures, inspects facilities and

construction, investigates safety incidents, and maintains a dialogue with pipeline operators. The

agency clarifies its expectations through orders, guidance manuals, and public meetings. It also

administers a pipeline safety research and development program to address emerging risks and

new technologies.47

PHMSA also regulates the safe packaging of hazmat by road, rail, and water transport and

provides grants for training emergency personnel to respond to hazmat incidents. PHMSA’s

FY2027 budget request states the following:48

There has been tremendous growth in the shipment of hazardous materials over the past

decade, largely fueled by the expansion of direct-to-consumer e-commerce sales, domestic

demand for lithium-ion battery powered electronics and international demand for

American energy products and chemicals.

PHMSA reports that the annual number of safety incidents involving highway transport of hazmat

increased by 54%, from 16,528 incidents in 2016 to 25,423 in 2025, but the total number of

injuries from those incidents decreased from 148 in 2016 to 62 in 2025.49 This suggests that the

severity of the incidents declined, emergency response capabilities improved, or both.

46 DOT, Budget Estimates FY2027: Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration, pp. 3-4,

https://www.transportation.gov/sites/dot.gov/files/PHMSA_FY_2027_Budget_Estimates%20CJ.pdf.

47 CRS Report R44201, DOT’s Federal Pipeline Safety Program: Background and Issues for Congress, by Paul W.

Parfomak.

48 DOT, Budget Estimates FY2027: Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration, p. 47,

https://www.transportation.gov/sites/dot.gov/files/PHMSA_FY_2027_Budget_Estimates%20CJ.pdf.

49 DOT, PHMSA, “Hazardous Materials Incident Statistics,” https://www.phmsa.dot.gov/hazmat-programmanagement-data-and-statistics/data-operations/incident-statistics.

Congressional Research Service

Department of Transportation FY2027 Funding Request

Table 13. Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration Funding,

FY2022-FY2026 Enacted and FY2027 Requested

millions of dollars

Line Item

FY2022

Enacted

FY2023

Enacted

FY2024

Enacted

FY2025

Enacted

FY2026

Enacted

FY2027

Request

Operational

Expenses

Hazardous

Materials Safety

Emergency

Preparedness

Grantsa

Pipeline Safety

183

190

218

215

218

Natural Gas

Distribution

Safety (IIJA,

Multiyear

Advance

Appropriations)

200

100b

Total

507

518

571

456

350

Source: CRS analysis of DOT Budget Estimates, FY2023-FY2027, https://www.transportation.gov/mission/

budget/dot-budget-and-performance-documents#BudgetEstimates; and House Committee on Appropriations,

reports, FY2022-FY2025.

Notes: Amounts may not add to totals because of rounding.

a. FY2022-FY2026 Enacted show the limitation on obligations of amounts authorized for expenditure from the

Hazardous Materials Preparedness Fund at 49 U.S.C. §§5128(b) and (c).

b. Of the $200 million made available by the IIJA, the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2026 (P.L. 119-75),

transferred $100 million to Highway Infrastructure Programs.

Congressional Research Service

Department of Transportation FY2027 Funding Request

Author Information

William J. Mallett

Specialist in Transportation Policy

Jennifer J. Marshall

Analyst in Transportation Policy

John Frittelli

Specialist in Transportation Policy

Naseeb A. Souweidane

Analyst in Transportation Policy

Ben Goldman

Analyst in Transportation Policy

Rachel Y. Tang

Analyst in Transportation and Industry

Ali E. Lohman

Analyst in Transportation Policy

Disclaimer

This document was prepared by the Congressional Research Service (CRS). CRS serves as nonpartisan

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under the direction of Congress. Information in a CRS Report should not be relied upon for purposes other

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Congressional Research Service

R48947 · VERSION 9 · NEW

This is a copy of a public record, reproduced as it was published. It is not legal advice, and it may not be the version a court would rely on. Check the official source before you cite it.