Reps. Foushee, Thompson Lead Opposition to Removal of Bike Safety Resources and Bike Safety Project Funding

WASHINGTON, D C (September 10, 2026) — Congresswoman Valerie Foushee (NC-04) and Congressman Mike Thompson (CA-04) sent a letter to Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy and Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) Administrator Sean McMaster opposing the removal of programs for road safety, specifically those mentioning bike safety. In the letter, the Congressmembers wrote , “The U.S. is experiencing a roadway safety crisis, with more than 36,000 people killed on our streets in 2025. One in five traffic deaths is a person walking or biking. Since 2010, bicyclist fatalities in the U.S. have risen by 87 percent.” “The removal of several PSCM related to protecting vulnerable road users coincides with the USDOT’s recent cancellation of grants that include bicycling facilities and stated intention to limit funding for bike lanes within the Better Utilizing Investments to Leverage Development (BUILD) Grant Program. Ignoring multimodal transportation networks, rejecting projects that prioritize the safety of people biking and walking, and eliminating funding for bike lanes goes against the express congressional intent for these funding sources. Furthermore, DOT’s actions only make our roads less safe for American families,” continued the lawmakers . “We therefore strongly urge you to restore all PSCM pages recently removed from the FHWA website, as well as funding eligibility for bike projects within BUILD and any other grant program for which they are eligible. Please provide us with a written response to explain the Administration’s rationale, your process for these actions, and how these actions support the Department’s mission to “Advance safety.”” The letter was signed by 28 Democratic lawmakers, including: Reps. Rick Larsen (WA-02) , Sharice Davids (KS-03) , Betty McCollum (MN-04) , Salud Carbajal (CA-24) , Lateefah Simon (CA-12) , Jake Auchincloss (MA-04) , Gwen Moore (WI-04) , Jill Tokuda (HI-02) , Andre Carson (IN-07) , Dina Titus (NV-01) , Ed Case (HI-01) , Val Hoyle (OR-04) , Dave Min (CA-47) , Jonathan Jackson (IL-01) , Mike Quigley (IL-05) , Sylvia Garcia (TX-29) , Hank Johnson (GA-04) , Suzan DelBene (WA-01) , Jim Himes (CT-04) , Julia Brownley (CA-26) , Jamie Raskin (MD-08) , Steve Cohen (TN-09) , Maxine Dexter (OR-03) , Robert Garcia (CA-42) , Lizzie Fletcher (TX-07) and Sara Jacobs (CA-51) . “My granddaughter Allie was just five years old when she was killed riding her bike through a crosswalk near her home,” said Philip Hart, a Durham resident and constituent of Rep. Foushee . “Every proven safety countermeasure removed from FHWA's website risks costing lives that could otherwise have been saved. Families for Safe Streets was founded by people who buried loved ones killed by dangerous road design — we know firsthand that these aren't abstract policy debates, they're the difference between a child making it home from school on a bike lane and a family getting a knock on the door. We're grateful to Representatives Thompson and Foushee for standing up for the data-backed tools that save lives, and we urge the Department of Transportation to restore this guidance and the funding that puts it into practice.” “Bike lanes, road diets, and speed management are called Proven Safety Countermeasures because the evidence is clear: they work to improve safety for everyone. Whether you are walking, biking, taking transit, or in a car, these are safety interventions that save lives. Removing these Proven Safety Countermeasures from engineers' and planners' toolbox signals that this administration is putting political whims over the safety of Americans,” said Bill Nesper, Executive Director of the League of American Bicyclists. “Rails To Trails Conservancy thanks Representatives Foushee and Thompson for their leadership organizing this letter and standing up for the vast majority of Americans who support trails, walking, and biking infrastructure. Removing the proven safety countermeasures endangers bicyclists, pedestrians, and drivers, and denies decades of research and experience in all types of American communities. By limiting funding for bicycle projects through the BUILD program, USDOT is undercutting bipartisan Congressional intent and denying Americans the infrastructure they need to safely and affordably get where they need to go,” said Scott Goldstein, Senior Director of Government Relations of Rails To Trails Conservancy. “One of The 6 E’s of Safe Routes to School is evaluation: using evidence-based strategies to improve safety and get kids and families where they need to go. Proven Safety Countermeasures have been rigorously evaluated to show they keep kids and families safe on our roadways,” said Marisa Jones, Executive Director of Safe Routes Partnership . “We encourage FHWA to follow the evidence on what keeps kids and communities safe, and reinstate all Proven Safety Countermeasures. No family should mourn the death of a child on our roadways over the politics of transportation modes. Communities need every tool available to them to make American streets safer for kids and families.” The full text of the letter can be found here . Print Email Share Tweet