Donald Trump’s new transportation proposal will hurt transit funding in every single American state, undermining affordability across the board. From red states to blue states, and from drivers to nondrivers, everyone will feel the impact.

According to recent reports, the Trump administration is trying to cut transit funding to every state, fundamentally changing the way federal transportation policy has operated for more than four decades. The administration has been trying to reduce funding for months by tying grants to birth rates and banning certain types of transportation projects altogether like those related to pedestrian safety and bike lanes. This latest action is both an economic and political disaster: it will worsen the escalating affordability crisis and take away states’ ability to direct transportation dollars to benefit working people.

  • ObiniceEnglish
    44·
    21 days ago

    A populace that doesn’t have mobility is much easier to oppress.

    • SpiceDealer@lemmy.dbzer0.comEnglish
      14·
      20 days ago

      Ironic considering the MAGA crowd complained about 15-minute cities. Don’t want little Bobby having a school, library, park and stores within walking and cycling distance from Mommy and Daddy’s two-story, HOA-approved house.

    • x00zEnglish
      6·
      21 days ago

      “I couldn’t make it to the revolution because I was stuck in traffic.”

    • Trilogy3452English
      5·
      20 days ago

      I think it’s way simpler than that: trying to help his oil and car industry friends

    • ebolapieEnglish
      3·
      20 days ago

      You don’t know what you got till it’s gone

  • Snuffleupadon@universeodon.com
    6·
    21 days ago

    @technocrit seems to me more and more like states will be taking their taxes and going home. If we can’t get our taxes put where we intended them to go then what’s the point of letting the federal government have them?

    • reabsorbthelightEnglish
      4·
      21 days ago

      In the US, taxes are paid first to the federal. The states collect second and the states don’t remit taxes up to the fed like in the EU.

      So states and citizens have been little power to withhold tax money from the fed.

        • reabsorbthelightEnglish
          2·
          21 days ago

          That’s not how it works. You can’t just stick your business profit or employment income into an account and not pay taxes.

          European banks don’t even survive US sanctions for tax fraud. A US State tax scheme doesn’t stand a chance

          • Snuffleupadon@universeodon.com
            2·
            21 days ago

            @reabsorbthelight I agree that isn’t how it works. It would be a change but I believe that it’s not outside the realm of possibility. Donald Trump and Stephen Miller are big fans of finding emergency powers and using novel legal theories. I think it’s high time for governors and state legislators to respond in kind.

            The money would go to the state instead of the fed, not stay in a business’ account. States have a lot of power, especially when in compact. I think it would only take California and New York doing something like this to really have an effect. Other states joining those two would kneecap the fed.

            From my perspective as a business owner it’s really just a matter of depositing funds into a different account than the treasury.

            Will it be easy? No, surely not. There would be a lot of difficulty in communication, legislation, and even with state’s ability to collect taxes there would be work needed to set up collection.

            I think this is the response needed for what is turning into the taxation without representation of our generation. We can’t sit around and say things can’t be done.

            • reabsorbthelightEnglish
              1·
              20 days ago

              That would be cool if it worked. I honestly really wish it would, because it would balance power better. I think the trick would be to “make it MAGAs idea”. Like how Mamdani works with Trump

              • Snuffleupadon@universeodon.com
                1·
                20 days ago

                @reabsorbthelight yeah, I mean it’s purely academic at this point. I’ve seen other people saying the same thing online though so I would wager the idea is being kicked around. I think the threat needs to be made first because red states (whether they will admit it or not) are reliant on blue states for those sweet tax dollars. In my mind it would work out pretty similar to the redistricting votes are playing out.