Rep. Cleaver Announces First Round of New Transit Funding Headed to Missouri and Kansas City Thanks to Bipartisan Infrastructure Law

(Washington, D.C.) – Today, U.S. Representative Emanuel Cleaver, II (D-MO) announced that the first round of new federal transit funding from President Biden's Bipartisan Infrastructure Law is heading to Missouri. The funding will modernize public transportation systems, create and support transit jobs across the state, make long overdue investments to upgrade transportation facilities, including new buses and railcars, and fund other key local projects throughout the Show Me State. Missouri will receive more than $46 million as the first installment of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law's five-year investment of more than $674 million to improve public transit in Missouri. As part of that initial installment, Kansas City will directly receive more than $4.8 million for local transit projects and initiatives. Congressman Cleaver voted in favor of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, which was signed into law by President Biden in November of last year.

"Once again, I am thrilled to announce another $46 million are coming back to our home state thanks to the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and President Biden's resolute commitment to ensuring communities across the country are able to build back better from the pandemic-induced recession of 2020," said Congressman Cleaver. "I am proud to have helped deliver this historic and long overdue investment in our public transit systems, which will help to transition to electric buses and other sustainable public transportation, improve reliability and decrease commute times for hardworking Missourians, and support good-paying, union jobs like those at UAW Local 249 and ATU Local 1287. It was a dedication to bipartisanship that enabled President Biden's historic infrastructure bill to be signed into law, and as this funding begins to be disbursed, I look forward to working with state and local officials on a bipartisan basis to meet the transportation needs of the Fifth Congressional District of Missouri."

For decades now, transit systems across the United States have suffered from inadequate federal investment, leading to disruptions and increasing travel times for passengers. According to the White House, Missourians who take public transportation spend an extra 79.6% of their time commuting, and non-White households are 10 times more likely to commute via public transportation. Additionally, 32% of transit vehicles in Missouri are past useful life. The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, supported by Rep. Cleaver, represents the largest-ever investment in America's public transit. In Missouri, the first round of funding includes:

• $25.8 million in flexible funding to help communities make transit safer and more efficient, fund new buses and rail cars, make track and station repairs, and other safety initiatives;
• $12.6 million to ensure transit systems are in a state of good repair, improving reliability by rehabilitating trains and buses, tracks, power systems and transit stations;
• $3.4 million to upgrade bus fleets and repair old buses and bus facilities; and
• $3.4 million to support transit for seniors and persons with disabilities, funding key resources such as wheelchair lifts, mobility management programs and accessible transit vehicles.

The investments announced by Cleaver will be made available to transit agencies, States, and Tribal governments across the country for the first 4.5 months of fiscal year 2022. Additional funding will become available following passage of a full-year appropriations bill, which is currently being negotiated in the House of Representatives and Senate.

"With these critical investments in our public transit system, we have an opportunity to connect communities throughout the Fifth Congressional District of Missouri—which will help workers find more opportunities, enable greater economic development throughout the congressional district, and ensure the Kansas City Region continues to grow in an equitable fashion," said Congressman Cleaver. "That is what we mean when we talk about building back better—and with these historic investments, that's precisely what we're going to do."

Emanuel Cleaver, II is the U.S. Representative for Missouri's Fifth Congressional District, which includes Kansas City, Independence, Lee's Summit, Raytown, Grandview, Sugar Creek, Blue Springs, Grain Valley, Oak Grove, North Kansas City, Gladstone, Claycomo, and all of Ray, Lafayette, and Saline Counties. He is a member of the exclusive House Financial Services Committee; Chairman of the House Subcommittee on Housing, Community Development, and Insurance; member of the Select Committee on the Modernization of Congress; member of the Committee on Homeland Security; and a Senior Whip of the Democratic Caucus. A high-resolution photo of Congressman Cleaver is available here.