U.S. Senator Katie Britt, in her role as a member of the Senate Committee on Appropriations, joined her colleagues last week in voting to advance the Fiscal Year 2024 Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies Appropriations Bill. The FY2024 includes nearly $40 million secured by Sen. Britt to modernize and upgrade transportation infrastructure in communities across Alabama.
“Our local roads, highways, and airports connect Alabama’s families, small businesses, industries, and communities with not only each other but the world,” said Sen. Britt. “Every child – regardless of their zip code – should have the opportunity to work hard and seize their American Dream, and investing strategically and responsibly in our state’s 21st-century infrastructure needs is key to making this a reality. I look forward to continuing to work on the Appropriations Committee to bring Alabamians’ hard-earned taxpayer dollars back home, so that every community across our state can reach its full potential.”
In the bill, Katie Britt prioritized investing in key Alabama priorities, including improvements to roads in rural communities, regional airports, and inland port infrastructure, that would improve safety while also empowering economic development and creating jobs in local communities.
She also supported programmatic language in the bill that would set aside $20 million for the National Scenic Byways program and $350 million for the Appalachian Development Highway System (ADHS), which includes funds for the long-delayed Birmingham Northern Beltline. Alabama has the most uncompleted miles remaining of any state in the system and should get approximately $30 million out of the total ADHS appropriation.
The Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies bill provides a discretionary total of $90.243 billion. That is $8.633 billion (8.7%) below what President Joe Biden asked for in his Budget Request. The Subcommittee’s spending level is still $2.91 billion above the Fiscal Year 2023 allocation.
The FY 2024 Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies Appropriations Bill now moves to the full Senate for consideration.
The U.S. national debt is over $32.6 trillion. The U.S. government spends $1.57 trillion a year more than it takes in revenues.
Katie Britt was elected to the Senate in 2022. She previously was the President and CEO of the Business Council of Alabama and an attorney. Before that, she served as Chief of Staff for former U.S. Sen. Richard Shelby (R-Alabama). Britt is a native of Enterprise.
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