APTA Letter to House Committee on Homeland Security on the Transit Security Grant Program

PDF

Dear Chairman Amodei and Ranking Member Underwood,

On behalf of the American Public Transportation Association (APTA), which represents the $79 billion public transportation industry that directly employs 430,000 people and supports millions of private-sector jobs, I write to express our sincere gratitude for your support of the Transit Security Grant Program (TSGP) in H.R. 4213, the Department of Homeland Security Appropriations Act, 2026.

TSGP provides competitive grants to eligible public transportation agencies to protect critical surface transportation infrastructure and the traveling public. Pursuant to section 1406 of the Implementing Recommendations of the 9/11 Commission Act of 2007 (P.L. 110-53), public transit agencies use TSGP funds for law enforcement, surveillance training, public awareness campaigns, detection equipment, security cameras, cybersecurity technologies, and hardening infrastructure.

Safety and security are core values for the public transportation industry-non-negotiable operating principles and key commitments to riders and workers. Public transportation agencies have adopted a layered approach to address security concerns, such as increasing the number of law enforcement personnel and supporting them with "transit ambassadors" and public awareness campaigns.

As a result, traveling by public transportation is 10 times safer for passengers than traveling by car. In 2024, riders took 7.7 billion trips on public transportation. This success is in no small part due to the support of Federal partners, including funding from the Department of Homeland Security's TSGP, and this continued partnership will be crucial going forward, given heightened threats in the United States caused by ongoing global conflicts.

We greatly appreciate the Committee providing $84.5 million to this essential program, in line with previous years' appropriations. We look forward to working with you to ensure the millions of Americans who use public transportation can travel safely and securely to their jobs, to see loved ones, and to engage in their communities.

Sincerely,

Paul P. Skoutelas
President and CEO

cc: The Honorable Tom Cole, Chairman, Committee on Appropriations, U.S. House of Representatives

The Honorable Rosa DeLauro, Ranking Member, Committee on Appropriations,
U.S. House of Representatives

Members, Subcommittee on Homeland Security, Committee on Appropriations,
U.S. House of Representatives