Collins is chairwoman of the Appropriations Committee. (Al Drago/Bloomberg)
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A Senate panel on July 24 easily approved legislation that would fund the U.S. Department of Transportation in fiscal 2026.
The bipartisan bill, which was advanced by the Appropriations Committee by an almost unanimous vote, includes $927 million for the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration.
Specific to trucking policy, the bill also would:
- Prohibit funding for enforcing electronic logging device rules when transporting livestock or insects.
- Prohibit funds to require the use of inward-facing cameras as requisite for a young driver apprenticeship program.
- Require FMCSA to review existing research and information about the safety impacts related to certain driverless vehicles.
For other agencies the bill would provide the Federal Highway Administration $63.3 billion, the Federal Aviation Administration $22 billion, the Federal Transit Administration $16.8 billion and the Federal Railroad Administration $2.9 billion.
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Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine), chairwoman of the Appropriations Committee, explained: “It is critical that we make significant investments to modernize our air traffic control systems and improve our airports, roads, railways, bridges and ports. We must also ensure that a greater supply of safe, affordable housing is available to communities throughout the country.”
Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-Miss.), chairwoman of the Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies Appropriations Subcommittee and the bill’s sponsor, added, “In the end, this bill is fiscally responsible and responsive to our nation’s needs, adhering to budgetary constraints while making key investments to improve our nation’s transportation infrastructure.”
Committee ranking member Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.) pointed to the bill’s bipartisan tone.
Murray. (J. Scott Applewhite/Associated Press)
“When it comes to transportation, this bill includes a much-needed increase for FAA to hire air traffic controllers, modernize equipment, and more. It also invests in highway safety, rail safety and pipeline safety — not to mention investments in our ports and shipyards,” Murray said. “It rejects [President Donald] Trump’s cuts to the essential air services that would have cut off so many small and rural communities.”
A floor vote in the Republican-led Senate has yet to be scheduled.
On the other side of the Capitol, a House committee this summer passed its version of the fiscal 2026 transportation funding bill. The House bill would dedicate $200 million for expanding parking availability for truck drivers.
American Trucking Associations applauded the bill’s parking provision. ATA Senior Vice President of Legislative Affairs Henry Hanscom observed, “The substantial investment for expanded parking capacity would help alleviate one of the biggest challenges that truck drivers face and improve the efficiency and safety of our roadways.”
Congress has not cleared fiscal 2026 bills for Trump’s signature. A partial federal shutdown would commence absent enacted federal funding bills before Oct. 1.
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