Press Releases

Washington, D.C. – 8/22/25… Today, Congressman Mike Lawler (NY-17) introduced the Transit Funding Flexibility Act of 2025, legislation that allows recipients of urbanized area formula grant funds to use federal dollars for the operating costs of equipment and facilities used in public transportation. 

The legislation seeks to remove an existing prohibition so that any recipient can apply these funds to operating expenses. As the law is currently written, ineligible spending includes increased law enforcement presence, monitoring systems for violence, responding to criminal activity, and other public safety measures.

“Public transit is vital to communities across New York and the Hudson Valley. Federal transit grants mostly cover big-ticket items like buying new buses or building stations, but not the day-to-day costs of running them. This bill provides transit agencies with greater flexibility to use these federal dollars for both physical infrastructure and operating expenses that keep transportation running safely and efficiently,” said Congressman Lawler.

“This bill fixes a critical problem for transit workers and the traveling public across the country. Right now, federal funding for transit agencies have to deal with archaic federal limitations that incentivize bad decisions. Today, agencies are strongly encouraged to buy new infrastructure or equipment that they don't need and can't operate because no federal funds can be used to pay for workers to operate and maintain them. Giving transit agencies the flexibility to spend federal funds on operations will result in better service delivery for working families and provide a better return on investment for federal dollars. This is a common sense fix that will empower local agencies to make better decisions for our communities,” said TWU International President John Samuelsen. 

Congressman Lawler is one of the most bipartisan members of Congress and represents New York's 17th Congressional District, which is just north of New York City and contains all or parts of Rockland, Putnam, Dutchess, and Westchester Counties. He was rated the most effective freshman lawmaker in the 118th Congress, 8th overall, surpassing dozens of committee chairs.

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Full text of the bill can be found HERE.