DOT Budget Blueprint Lifts FMCSA Funding to $946 Million

Increases Target Aviation Projects, Safety Grants in White House Budget

Donald Trump
Trump transmitted his nearly $2.2 trillion fiscal 2027 spending request to lawmakers during the congressional Easter recess. (Julia Demaree Nikhinson/Associated Press)

Key Takeaways:Toggle View of Key Takeaways

  • The Trump administration requests $946 million for FMCSA in fiscal 2027, including $398 million for safety operations and $548 million for safety grants.
  • DOT says funding would target high-risk carriers, deploy modern tools and bolster accountability, while the broader request seeks $114.1 billion for transportation agencies.
  • Congress returns April 13 to debate the nonbinding proposal amid partisan reactions as lawmakers finalize a fiscal 2026 deal to end a partial DHS shutdown.

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The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration would receive $946 million under a fiscal 2027 budget request from the Trump administration that Congress is expected to debate in the coming months.

Under the proposal, motor carrier safety operations and programs would be funded at $398 million, while motor carrier safety grants would total $548 million. The Department of Transportation said the request would allow FMCSA to continue targeting high-risk carriers and behaviors, reduce service barriers, and deploy modern tools to improve safety outcomes and regulatory effectiveness.

DOT explained the administration is focused on raising roadway safety standards through accountability, compliance and enforcement.

The budget blueprint also outlines funding levels for other DOT agencies, including $66.2 billion for the Federal Highway Administration to support what the administration described as its goal of accelerating project delivery and empowering state and local partners. The proposal includes $16.3 billion for the Federal Transit Administration, $2.8 billion for the Federal Railroad Administration and $1.3 billion for the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.



Overall, the fiscal 2027 request seeks $114.1 billion in new budgetary resources for DOT, including $26.8 billion in new discretionary budget authority and $87.3 billion in mandatory funding. DOT said the proposed programs and management initiatives would support the department’s mission.

President Donald Trump transmitted his nearly $2.2 trillion fiscal 2027 spending request to lawmakers during the congressional Easter recess. The nonbinding proposal, anchored by a sizable increase in defense spending, arrived later than expected. The proposal serves as the starting point for negotiations among congressional appropriators, who in recent years have often revised or disregarded presidential budget requests.

The budget also proposes investments in artificial intelligence and aviation safety while calling for savings to be achieved by reducing or eliminating what the administration described as “woke, weaponized and wasteful programs,” and by shifting certain responsibilities back to states and municipalities.

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Tom Cole

Cole in 2023. (Sarah Silbiger/Bloomberg)

House Appropriations Chairman Tom Cole (R-Okla.) praised the administration’s blueprint, saying Republican appropriators are moving forward with hearings and legislative markups as they work to direct taxpayer dollars where they are “needed most” and ensure they are spent wisely.

Senate Appropriations Committee Chairwoman Susan Collins (R-Maine) struck a more measured tone, reminding colleagues that while the administration submits a budget proposal, “Congress holds the power of the purse.”

Democrats, meanwhile, sharply criticized the president’s request and the broader Republican agenda in Washington.

“His failed policies have sent costs soaring on groceries, gas, housing, health care and more, and now he’s making it even harder for American families to get ahead,” Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) said April 3. “Trump’s budget has one message for the Americans struggling with skyrocketing costs: He doesn’t care.”

Congress, which returns from its Easter recess April 13, is still working to finalize a fiscal 2026 spending agreement to end a partial government shutdown tied to the Department of 91Ƶland Security, which includes the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the Transportation Security Administration.

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