Corinne Kisner, Executive Director, and Janette Sadik-Khan, Chair, of the National Association of City Transportation Officials today issued the following statement in response to Congress’ passage of the American Rescue Plan:
After some false starts, Congress finally passed the American Rescue Plan, which will help American cities and their residents get back on their feet, ensure transit continues to run as an essential service, and forestall catastrophic cuts to city services at the time that they’re most needed. For the first time since the COVID-19 crisis started, smaller cities, many of which have had to lay off staff even with increased demands for their services, will have access to relief funding.
The historic relief package smartly gets red tape out of the way, allowing cities to flexibly spend funds in the ways that most benefit their residents–a precedent for future legislation that aims to have the most impact with limited federal dollars. As the law governing the nation’s transportation program (the FAST Act) sunsets later this year, we look forward to working with Congress to build on this precedent. Getting federal funding directly and flexibly into the hands of entities most responsive to their residents–local governments–will be key to a complete and just recovery from the worst disaster in decades.
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About the National Association of City Transportation Officials (NACTO)
NACTO is an association of 86 major North American cities and transit agencies formed to exchange transportation ideas, insights, and practices and cooperatively approach national transportation issues. The organization’s mission is to build cities as places for people, with safe, sustainable, accessible, and equitable transportation choices that support a strong economy and vibrant quality of life. To learn more, visit nacto.org or follow us on Twitter at @NACTO.
For Immediate Release | March 10, 2021
Press Contact: Alexander Engel | [email protected]
Related: See NACTO’s federal policy priorities for a just, sustainable recovery.