WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, U.S. Senator Alex Padilla (D-Calif.) announced that he secured an initial $200 million to establish a bus leasing program, regional traffic management systems, and dedicated bus lanes ahead of the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games. The Senate Appropriations Committee approved the funding in the Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act of 2025. The Senate appropriations bill will now be reconciled with the House’s version before a final version can be enacted. The Senator traveled on a presidential delegation to Paris this week for the opening ceremony of the Olympic and Paralympic Games in preparation for the 2028 Los Angeles Games.
The bus leasing program will build on the successful model used in Atlanta in 1996 and Salt Lake City in 2002. It will facilitate the donation or leasing of buses or bus operators from public transit agencies throughout the United States to Los Angeles public transit agencies and the Los Angeles Organizing Committee for the Olympic and Paralympic Games 2028.
“With the Olympic and Paralympic Games headed to Los Angeles in just four short years, we must continue making critical investments in planning and preparing our transportation infrastructure,” said Senator Padilla. “I thank the Senate Appropriations Committee for including my request for funding to support a regional transportation management system needed to make the Games run smoothly for athletes, visitors, and Angelenos. The 2028 Games are a tremendous opportunity to showcase the United States on the world stage, but Los Angeles cannot do it alone. Partnerships between the federal government, local transit agencies, and everyone on the ground in Los Angeles are crucial to making the Games a success.”
The Committee also directed the Department of Transportation (DOT) to expedite technical assistance and to help provide federal resources, funding, approvals, and waivers in a timely manner to help prepare for the 2028 Los Angeles Games and the 2026 World Cup, which will feature matches in Los Angeles and the San Francisco Bay Area.
The Appropriations Committee directed the Secretary of Transportation to report on the full scope of DOT’s transportation infrastructure obligations and the host locations’ projected resource needs for the Games for fiscal year 2026 through fiscal year 2029.
Senator Padilla has secured millions of dollars in federal investments to help prepare Los Angeles for the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games. Earlier this year, Padilla and Representatives Jimmy Gomez (D-Calif.-34) and Grace F. Napolitano (D-Calif.-31) celebrated nearly $900 million in federal investments in LA Metro to improve mobility and upgrade transportation infrastructure ahead of the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games. This included $139 million for LA Metro’s “Removing Barriers and Creating Legacy” project, which will reconnect communities and strengthen mobility across highway and arterial barriers ahead of the Games. The funding comes through the Reconnecting Communities and Neighborhoods Grant Program (RCN), which includes the Reconnecting Communities Pilot Program that was modeled off the Reconnecting Communities Act that Padilla co-led in 2021.
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