U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT)

Texas high-speed rail loses federal support

Terminated grant, reallocating funds

The United States has never built a true high-speed rail line. For over a decade, Texas Central Railway has attempted to change that with a 240-mile bullet train connecting Houston and Dallas—using Japanese Shinkansen technology to cut a 3.5-hour drive to 90 minutes. On April 14, 2025, the Trump administration terminated a $64 million federal planning grant, calling the project 'a waste of taxpayer funds' and returning the initiative entirely to private control.

Updated 2 days ago

The infrastructure gap: China builds, America debates

Built World

Administering final year of IIJA funding before September 2026 expiration; facing proposed $15.2B cuts

China just front-loaded $42 billion in infrastructure spending for early 2026—281 projects approved before the calendar even flipped. The U.S. Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, passed with $1.2 trillion in 2021, has spent just 21% of its funds as of December 2024.

Updated May 19

FHWA quietly deletes the “rulebook” for tribal and forest road asset management

Rule Changes

Umbrella department driving deregulation priorities affecting FHWA programs

On December 17, 2025, two FHWA rollbacks took effect that sound boring—and matter anyway. The agency removed the formal, on-the-books requirements that told the Forest Service and the Bureau of Indian Affairs how to run safety, bridge, pavement, and congestion management systems for certain federally funded roads.

Updated May 15

FAA puts $6B on the table to rip out ATC’s “copper age” and hit a 2028 deadline

Built World

Political sponsor and funding advocate for the ATC rebuild

The FAA is no longer talking about “modernization” like it’s a distant science project. In a House hearing, Administrator Bryan Bedford said the agency will commit $6 billion by the end of 2025 to upgrade ATC telecom networks and radar surveillance, with a target deployment date of 2028.