DOT issues guidance tying transit grant shares to marriage and birth rates

The Federal Transit Authority has published guidance on the demographic factors proposed in early 2025 for setting the share of a transit project's cost that DOT covers, Construction Dive reported. Higher marriage and birth rates would increase a project's CIG funding share under the proposal, as would cost-effectiveness and congestion relief.

Murray said the change would apply to 40 projects already in the CIG program and could trigger new rating and cost-share requirements, leading to redesigns or fresh environmental reviews and potentially higher construction costs. The Washington Democrat, vice chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, called the proposal “bizarre and dystopian” in a statement on the committee's website. She also said it could reduce CIG funding for some projects below a 40% floor that Congress set in annual funding bills, a benchmark in place since 2020.

The CIG adjustment factor can cut as well as add: a project deemed to have low cost-effectiveness pairs with a factor of minus 25%, Construction Dive reported. The proposal does not include negative adjustments for lower marriage or birth rates, just positive additions for higher rates.

Murray pointed to Urban Institute research that found tying funding to marriage and birth rates would prioritize White communities. “Residents of areas with high marriage and birth rates are much more likely to be white and much less likely to be Black or Hispanic,” the research found, according to her statement.

Jessica Tillipman, associate dean for government procurement law studies at George Washington University, said, according to Construction Dive, that she was not aware of any previous federal program that adjusted infrastructure funding for marriage or birth rates. She characterized the CIG change as “collateral policy.” Such policies are usually meant to have a direct effect through funding priorities, such as contracting requirements for small, women-, veteran- or minority-owned businesses.

The CIG share sets the federal contribution to a project, leaving the balance to state, local and private sources. The guidance also lands with federal surface transportation funding running only to Dec. 11, a deadline Congress extended in September.