Car-Centric Transportation Funding

Transportation project funding in the U.S. is entering a period of deep uncertainty. Many studies on road safety, mobility, and related issues were canceled or defunded by the Trump administration in 2025, including research programs housed at university transportation centers. Meanwhile, a March 2025 USDOT internal policy memo called for the removal of all climate- or equity-related elements of competitive grant projects, and in September 2025, the agency cancelled several previously awarded RAISE grants for projects across the country that weren't "car-focused."

The dismantling of transportation funding for street safety, public transit, and other transportation alternatives threatens to undermine decades of progress in improving mobility, public health, environmental sustainability, and economic resilience. For planners, this trend raises concerns about growing inequities in access and mobility, particularly for communities dependent on transit, walking, and cycling infrastructure.