WASHINGTON D.C. - U.S. Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ) joined a group of 14 of his Senate colleagues, led by U.S. Senator Chris Murphy (D-CT), in urging Senate Appropriations Committee leadership, including leaders of the Appropriations Subcommittee on Transportation, Housing, and Urban Development, to protect funding for the Federal Railroad Administration's (FRA) Federal-State Partnership for Intercity Passenger Rail (IPR) grant program in fiscal year 2026 appropriations legislation. While the committee-passed Senate Transportation, Housing, and Urban Development appropriations bill includes $75 million for the program, House Republicans have proposed eliminating the funding entirely, jeopardizing ongoing efforts to improve the safety and reliability of rail infrastructure in the Northeast Corridor and expand the nation's passenger rail network.

The Senators laid out why annual appropriations of IPR grants are needed: "While the IIJA provided five years of guaranteed funding for the Federal-State Partnership grant program, this funding was always intended to be supplemental to annually appropriated dollars. The IIJA also authorized up to $1.5 billion for Federal-State Partnership grant program in fiscal year 2024. The IIJA investment alone is not sufficient to fully address the nation's rail state-of-good-repair (SOGR) backlog nor to fully improve and expand intercity passenger rail in a way that America deserves."

The senators warned failing to fund Northeast Corridor projects could lead to hundreds of millions of dollars in added costs and severe disruptions for riders: "The NEC's SOGR backlog stands at well over $40 billion, representing a serious threat to the nation's economy. Before the COVID-19 pandemic, Amtrak and commuter railroads on the NEC transported more than 800,000 people per weekday, and the workforce that travels on the NEC contributes roughly $50 billion annually to the economy. However, the specter of the SOGR backlog causing delays or track closures is a constant concern. According to the Northeast Corridor Commission, "[t]he loss of the NEC for a single day could cost the country $100 million in added congestion, productivity losses, and other transportation impacts." If Congress does not make the necessary investments, disruptions will become more frequent and more severe over time."

They also highlighted how the funding would both expand and establish Amtrak passenger lines throughout the country: "In 2021, Amtrak released a $75 billion, 15-year vision to bring more trains to more people across the nation. This vision was meant to start an important conversation about the need for robust federal investment in passenger rail, especially in underserved and unserved communities. Congress responded by authorizing the FRA Corridor Identification and Development Program and the IIJA provided $12 billion via the Federal-State Partnership grant program as an initial down payment on non-NEC rail expansion. While this IIJA funding is a critical first step, to fully realize the type of passenger rail network that the country deserves, the Federal-State Partnership grant program will require robust additional funding in FY26 and beyond. Below is an illustrative list of types of non-NEC corridor development and related projects that federal investment could advance, assuming support from relevant states and communities and approval by the FRA"

The senators concluded: "On behalf of our millions of constituents who depend on a safe and reliable passenger rail network, and also those who deserve access to passenger rail but do not have it as a meaningful option today, we urge the Subcommittee to vigorously defend the $75 million appropriation for FY 2026 for the Federal-State Partnership for Intercity Passenger Rail grant program."

The letter was also signed by U.S Senators Angela Alsobrooks (D-MD), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-DE), Chris Coons (D-DE), Dick Durbin (D-IL), Andy Kim (D-NJ), Ed Markey (D-MA), Jack Reed (D-RI), Bernie Sanders (D-VT.), Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI).

To read the full letter, click here.