On Friday, May 30, President Trump released his proposed budget for the 2026 federal Fiscal Year (FY) for every federal agency, including key federal agencies important to BLET such as the Railroad Retirement Board (RRB), the National Mediation Board (NMB), Amtrak, and the FRA Office of Safety.
While President Trump proposed massive cuts in funding for most federal agencies, in some cases as much as 90%, he proposed to keep funding levels the same for most key rail programs and agencies. That is a huge win for the agencies and programs that directly affect BLET members and their families.
One of the main reasons for the fact that rail programs were not cut in these budget proposal is the lobbying effort that was furthered by the Rail Conference, BLET, and the Teamsters. “Over the last year and a half, when there were proposed cuts to the Railroad Retirement Board or Amtrak, we pushed back,” BLET National President Mark Wallace said. “Our pushback has made Congress and the Administration think twice about attacking the programs and agencies BLET cares about.”
This year, for the first time, the Rail Conference and BLET helped lead an effort to put together a bipartisan letter from Congress in support of $170 million in administrative funding for the Railroad Retirement Board, which is the level the RRB is asking for this year.
The Rail Conference and BLET also supported appropriations letters in the House and Senate in support of robust funding for Amtrak and passenger rail funding.
As Congress works on finalizing federal funding for this upcoming fiscal year over the next few months, the BLET and Teamsters Rail Conference will continue to advocate and educate Congressional offices for the necessary funding for key agencies and programs like the Railroad Retirement Board, Amtrak and other passenger/commuter rail programs, the National Mediation Board, and the FRA Office of Safety.
Amtrak photo: Cory Rusch, BLET Division 659