A U.S. Dept. of Transportation plan to reshape and rename the Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery, or TIGER, grants has come under fire from senior Senate appropriators. Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine), who chairs the appropriations subcommittee responsible for DOT’s budget, and Sen. Jack Reed (R.I.), the panel’s top Democrat, say DOT’s plan to make states’ and localities’ ability to raise transportation revenue a grant-selection criterion is a bad idea.

Appropriators zero in on transit capital grants, which got a 10% hike in the 2018 omnibus spending measure.

First round under Trump administration sends 64% of the funds to rural projects, most in TIGER's history.

Public transportation officials, emphasizing transit’s role in economic development, sustainability and natural-disaster response, are pushing back against a White House proposal to cut $2.4 billion out of the Dept. of Transportation budget, including phasing out capital grants and the TIGER program.

WIIN Act is an achievement, but Congress punted on FAA bill and fiscal 2017 appropriations.

Nearly two-thirds of this year's winning projects, including one in Pittsburgh, were unsuccessful in past TIGER compeitions.