Schatz Secures Extension Of $250 Million Honolulu Rail Funding Grant In Bipartisan Appropriations Deal

WASHINGTON – Last night, the U.S. Senate passed an appropriations deal, which includes a provision authored by U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i) that will extend the deadline for a $250 million funding grant for the Honolulu Rail Transit project. The federal grant, which was secured by Senator Schatz in FY2015, was set to expire at the end of the year if left unspent. As a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, Schatz worked with congressional leaders to include the deadline extension and protect the project’s federal funding for another year.

“My objective was to prevent the loss of these federal dollars. While this extension buys them more time, HART and the City must now revise their financial plan and come back with something that can actually work. They now have an opportunity to focus on what is most important – developing a clear-eyed plan for the people of Honolulu,” said Senator Schatz. 

The new spending deadline for these funds is December 31, 2021.

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