The discussion delves into Project 2025 and its implications for transportation policies. Concerns arise over proposed cuts to public transit funding and a shift towards car-centric solutions. The speakers critique conservative transportation ideologies and advocate for inclusive policies that prioritize accessibility. Questions around ride-hailing services and urban congestion are analyzed, while potential futures under Project 2025 highlight significant inequities. Voter engagement is emphasized as essential in shaping transport policies for all communities.
Project 2025 promotes a car-centric future by proposing the elimination of federal funding for public transportation, threatening progressive policies.
The initiative presents a conflicting stance on transportation funding, advocating local control while simultaneously restricting funds to only major state-managed projects.
Deep dives
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Project 2025 Overview
Project 2025, spearheaded by the Heritage Foundation, outlines a blueprint meant to prepare for a prospective second Trump administration, including an agenda to reshape various policy areas. This campaign has drawn attention for its radical proposals, especially concerning civil rights, education, and transportation. For instance, it includes a chapter proposing the elimination of federal funding for public transportation, which has raised concerns about the future of progressive transportation policies. Discussions around this initiative highlight the potential threat it poses to environmental standards and social equity.
Impact on Transportation Policy
The chapter on transportation within Project 2025, authored by Diana Fertgut-Roth, advocates for a car-centric future with reduced public transportation funding. Specifically, it seeks to eliminate federal formula funds for public transit and major grant programs, significantly altering the current transportation landscape towards a system that favors automobiles over public options. This shift could undermine years of efforts to promote inclusive and sustainable mobility options that serve diverse community needs. The extreme positions taken in this chapter suggest a disregard for the transportation preferences of the majority of Americans who rely on public transit.
Narrative of Local versus Federal Control
The framework of Project 2025 presents a convoluted stance on local control versus federal oversight, particularly regarding transportation funding. While advocating for substantial cuts to discretionary federal grant programs that support urban and suburban transit projects, it paradoxically suggests a preference for centralized funding controlled by state agencies. This approach could stifle innovative local projects aimed at improving public transit, essentially limiting funding to just large state-managed initiatives. The inconsistency in promoting local control alongside restrictive funding policies raises questions about the true priorities of the proposed transportation framework.
There’s been a lot of talk this election season about Project 2025, the initiative from the Heritage Foundation to prepare for a potential second Trump administration. Understandably, much of the conversation about Project 2025 has been about the stakes for abortion access, rights for LGBTQ+ people, protections for civil servants, the Department of Education, Social Security and much more.
But there’s also a 10-page chapter about the Department of Transportation, written by a former Trump administration official, that outlines a lot of ideas and plans that could spell doom for many vital progressive transportation projects, change how funding is distributed, and deeply harm the nation's ability to address climate change.
Kevin DeGood, the director of Infrastructure Policy at the Center for American Progress, joins us to walk through what’s in this document and what’s at stake for transportation in this election.
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This episode was edited by Ali Lemer. It was recorded by Josh Wilcox at the Brooklyn Podcasting Studio. Transcriptions are by Russell Gragg. Our theme music is by Nathaniel Goodyear.