Skip to Content
Streetsblog Los Angeles home
Streetsblog Los Angeles home
Log In

Early reports have spilled some of the beans on Rep. John Mica’s proposal for the next transportation reauthorization, which he’s rolling out for reporters in an hour. (Note that he’s still not formally introducing the bill and we’ll have no draft legislative text to pore over. With luck, he’ll at least give a timeline today for when that’s coming.)

Here’s what we’re hearing:

    • It’s a six-year bill, putting it immediately into conflict with the Senate’s two-year proposal.
    • It will allocate $35 billion a year, although that would make it a $210 billion bill over six years and most of the reports we’re seeing say $230 billion. Unclear where that extra $20 billion comes from, or if it’s an error.
    • The way we calculate this, it’s almost a 40 percent cut from existing levels. (SAFETEA-LU allocated $286 billion over five years, equaling $57.2 billion per year.) The Ryan budget had called for a 30 percent cut.
    • Rather than establish a national infrastructure bank, as called for by the president and lawmakers on both sides of the aisle (though mostly Democrats), Mica’s bill would bolster state infrastructure banks. Thirty-two states already have infrastructure banks.
    • Mica says he won’t raise TIFIA over and above Highway Trust Fund levels, as the Senate bill does.
    • Mica says he thinks private investment will fill in some of the gaps in what the government can fund.
    • Mica appears to feel hamstrung by the extreme fiscal conservatism that’s overtaken the House since the new class was sworn in in January. "Have you seen the votes on the floor," he told reporters yesterday. "They would vote down a Mother's Day resolution if it had extra spending. That is the climate we're in."

We’ll bring you more details following Mica’s briefing, as well as a press conference by Democrats with their response.

Stay in touch

Sign up for our free newsletter

More from Streetsblog Los Angeles

Metro 2026 World Cup Transit Plans Emerging

From June 13 to July 7, 2026, Los Angeles will host eight World Cup soccer matches, all at the SoFi Stadium in the city of Inglewood

May 9, 2025

Metro Names Bill Scott as Chief of Police

Chief Scott and Metro leadership emphasized that keeping Metro transit safe would require a multi-faceted approach that included the deployment of officers as well as collaboration with the community, ambassadors, and service providers. "Sometimes enforcement is the answer," Scott said. "Sometimes it's not."

May 7, 2025

Lyft’s Anti-Worker Anti-Transit Record Raises Red Flags For Metro Bike Share

Edwin Aviles and Kalayaan Mendoza urge Metro not to reward bad actors working to undermine workers’ rights and mass transit

See all posts