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Committee hears DDOT budget shortfall as bus-priority and safety funding draw concern
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Summary
Witnesses at the Council's Committee on Transportation and the Environment warned that the mayor's FY26 budget reduces operating and capital support for the District Department of Transportation and cuts $36 million from bus-priority projects, undermining transit speed, Vision Zero progress and equity goals.
The Council's Committee on Transportation and the Environment opened its first budget oversight hearing on the mayor's proposed fiscal 2026 budget on June 2, where multiple public witnesses said cuts to the District Department of Transportation (DDOT) will slow bus-priority projects, reduce safety investments and make transit less reliable for low-income riders.
Chair Charles Allen (Ward 6) told the panel the mayor's proposed FY26 operating budget for DDOT is $175,900,000, down about 5.1% from the FY25 approved operating budget of $185,000,000, while the proposed capital budget is $683,000,000, an 18% reduction from FY25. Witnesses singled out a proposed $36,000,000 reduction to the bus-priority capital program as particularly damaging to efforts to speed buses and shift trips from cars to transit.
Why it matters: Witnesses and union representatives said bus-priority projects are among the most cost-effective ways to reduce travel time, improve equity and lower traffic deaths. Mike Litt, chair of the Sierra Club DC chapter, and others urged the committee to restore the bus-priority funding and to protect dedicated safety funds such as Vision Zero and the Vision Zero Pedestrian and Bicycle Safety Fund. ATU Local 689 asked the committee to keep funding that supports bus speed and reliability and to pursue long-term revenue tools so Metro and buses remain viable for working residents.
Who said what: East Peterson Trujillo of Green New Deal for DC urged the committee to fund Metro for DC with $47,400,000 to make Metrobus fare-free for D.C. residents, a statutory program she said the city must find mechanisms to support. Mike Litt criticized the proposed cut to bus-priority projects and urged preservation of the Vision Zero and bike-share increases. Kai Hall of the DC Transportation Equity Network and Matthew Gerardi of ATU Local 689 said the cuts worsen a 'time tax' borne by transit riders; both urged restoration of bus-priority funding and consideration of revenue tools such as congestion pricing or a land-value tax to stabilize transit funding.
Supporting detail: Witnesses also recommended preserving or increasing funding for automated traffic enforcement (ATE), protecting the bike-share capital increase and keeping tree-planting and urban forestry funds intact to avoid program instability.
What the committee plans next: Chair Allen said the committee will continue to review the budget and meet agency leadership at the DDOT hearing next week. He asked advocates to stay engaged as the committee refines recommendations.
Ending: With agencies and advocates at odds over which projects must be protected, the committee faces decisions that could shape DDOT's ability to speed buses, maintain safety gains and deliver equity-focused transit investments in FY26.
