A new U.S. Department of Transportation memo says the agency will prioritize projects in communities with high birth and marriage rates and those that require local cooperation or compliance with federal immigration enforcement.
That could jeopardize the flow of federal transportation dollars to Colorado, where state laws limit how much local law enforcement can cooperate with federal immigration officials and where the state’s fertility rate is among the lowest in the nation.
The memo was one of a handful issued Wednesday by President Trump’s new Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy that will roll back climate; diversity, equity and inclusion programs; and other Biden-era policies in the Department of Transportation.
“The American people deserve an efficient, safe, and pro-growth transportation system based on sound decision-making, not political ideologies,” Duffy said in a press release. “These actions will help us deliver on that promise.”
A spokesperson for Colorado Gov. Jared Polis said tying road funding to marriage and birth rates was “ludicrous on its face.”
“A pothole doesn’t belong to a political party or care if you’re married or not, so it’s disappointing to see that President Trump and his team attempt to block road funding,” spokeswoman Shelby Wieman wrote in an email. “Colorado will continue making investments in our roads and transit that are driven by market demand, reduce traffic, and drive economic growth. Donald Trump and his team should work to improve roads, rail, and transit across the entire country for all Americans.”
Wieman’s statement did not explicitly mention the federal memo’s immigration provision. When CPR News asked Polis earlier this month what he would do if Trump tied federal funding to the state’s cooperation with federal immigration enforcement, Polis said he looked forward to “increased cooperation with the federal government to apprehend criminals.” Denver Mayor Mike Johnston recently echoed those statements.
But, Polis added, he also hopes Congress will pass a more comprehensive immigration bill.
The memo also says the administration will prohibit recipients “from imposing vaccine and mask mandates.”
State and local officials are already trying to sort out the financial implications of other orders from the Trump administration, especially grants related to climate and climate-friendly transportation projects including electric vehicle infrastructure and public transportation.
Earlier this week, officials in Snowmass said a $13.5 million federal grant for a new transit center was in jeopardy after talking with state and federal officials.
On Thursday, Colorado Department of Transportation spokesman Matt Inzeo said the agency was reviewing the new U.S. DOT memo and other Trump administration orders and would not speculate on their implications.
But he added that the state received more than $900 million from the federal government last year: $738 million through congressionally approved appropriations and another $191 million in grants.
“We are evaluating funds should they actually be affected by these actions, but a reduction in federal funds to fix our roads and bridges will cost Coloradans money through more traffic, and increased car repairs,” Inzeo said in an email.
CPR News also asked newly elected Republican U.S. Rep. Jeff Hurd, who sits on the House Transportation Committee, for comment and will update this story if his office provides one.
