Wire
Fast-growing metros would get $350 million in House bill
The money would go to the top 40 metro areas by percentage population change over five years, using Census data. Another $100 million would support Washington, D.C. projects, and $6 million would test converting contract air traffic control towers.
For cities trying to keep up with new residents, the money is the point. In federal transportation spending, the Office of the Secretary of Transportation would get $218,142,000, and another $350,000,000 would be reserved for projects in "areas of high growth." For this purpose, that means the top 40 metropolitan statistical areas for cumulative population change by percentage between 2020 and 2025, using Census Bureau data.
That definition matters because it narrows the money to places where pressure can build fast. More people usually means more demand on roads, transit, airport access and other basic links that keep daily life moving.
A separate slice for Washington
The bill also sets aside $100,000,000 for purposes of Executive Order No. 14252, "Making the District of Columbia Safe and Beautiful." That gives Washington its own line in the account rather than asking it to compete with the broader pool.
Another $6,000,000 would pay for a pilot program to convert high-activity contract air traffic control towers into FAA-staffed visual flight rules towers. For airport communities, that is a practical change, because tower staffing shapes how pilots are guided and how the federal government runs day-to-day operations on busy fields.
Money that can wait
The office account stays available until Sept. 30, 2028, so the money can be spread out over time. But the bill does not name the individual cities or projects that will get the grants.
That leaves the real question hanging over the spending choices: which fast-growing metros get a boost first, what Washington does with its separate pot, and whether the tower pilot turns into something larger.