The Coalition for America’s Gateways and Trade Corridors (CAGTC) is proud to commemorate a major milestone in 2026: the Coalition’s 25th anniversary. Since its founding in 2001, CAGTC and its diverse membership have worked to ensure that the nation’s multimodal freight network is recognized, valued, and strengthened through federal policy improvements and strategic investment.

“This anniversary offers a welcome opportunity to reflect on the strength of our members, the impact of our advocacy, and the importance of a shared vision for the future of freight,” said Elaine Nessle, CAGTC Executive Director. “It also highlights CAGTC’s most important accomplishment of the past 25 years: giving freight a voice. As we approach the expiration of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) and prepare for the next surface transportation reauthorization legislation, CAGTC looks forward to our continued engagement with Congress and the Administration to build on freight’s success in the IIJA and maximize investments in multimodal supply chain infrastructure.”

Over the last quarter-century, CAGTC has united public and private sector partners behind one common goal: to secure investments in freight infrastructure and elevate goods movement as a national priority. This anniversary marks a timely occasion to celebrate the Coalition’s numerous accomplishments and look ahead to the coming years of CAGTC advocacy in support of national freight movement, supply chain efficiency, and economic competitiveness.

“As we celebrate this milestone, we are also looking forward – to the policies, investments, and opportunities that will shape the future of freight infrastructure and goods movement,” said Erin Aleman, Executive Director of the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning and CAGTC Board Chair. “CAGTC’s role has never been more critical. We will continue our important work to ensure that freight has a strong, clear voice in national policy conversations and that our country remains prepared to meet the supply chain demands of tomorrow.”

To honor its silver anniversary, CAGTC will launch a year-long “Voices of Freight” 25th Anniversary Speaker Series featuring national industry experts, who will share their insights into evolving challenges and opportunities facing America’s freight network. Topics will include federal funding programs, emerging technologies, and best practices in project planning, among others.

In conjunction with its Annual Meeting, CAGTC will also host a special in-person 25th Anniversary Celebration on April 22, 2026, in Washington, DC – bringing together freight industry leaders from across the country to reflect on the Coalition’s history and set the stage for the next chapter.

“In the past 25 years, CAGTC has helped transform how our nation understands and invests in freight infrastructure,” said Paul Anderson, President & CEO of Port Tampa Bay and CAGTC Immediate Past Chair. “From the earliest days of simply seeking a seat at the table and advocating for dedicated freight programs to today’s conversations about supply chain preparedness and adapting to changing demands, CAGTC has been a constant, steady voice. It is remarkable to reflect on how far we have come – and how our Coalition’s work has strengthened the movement of goods across the country.”

CAGTC thanks its 25th Anniversary sponsors for their generous support: Port of Long Beach, HNTB, Majestic Realty, Port Tampa Bay, AECOM, Ports America, Great Lakes Dredge & Dock Company, Port of Los Angeles, Intermodal Association of North America, Port of Hueneme, Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning, Nossaman, Port of San Diego, Port of Vancouver USA, and Southern California Association of Governments.

By: Amanda Hampton, CAGTC Communications Manager

Published Jan. 28 at 3 pm Eastern: On January 22, the House passed the fiscal year 2026 (FY26) Transportation, Housing and Urban Development (THUD) appropriations bill – annual legislation enacted to fund the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) – by a 341 – 88 vote.

Before advancing the THUD bill to the Senate, the House approved a procedure to combine all the remaining FY26 bills for agencies that did not receive funding under the continuing resolution approved by Congress in November. The Senate must pass the consolidated funding bill before the continuing resolution expires on January 30 to prevent another government shutdown.

What’s in the Conferenced FY26 THUD Bill?

The House and Senate Appropriations Committees advanced differing versions of the FY26 THUD bill in July 2025. On January 20, the chambers released the final conferenced text. The agreement provides USDOT with $25.1 billion in discretionary funding, consistent with funding levels enacted in FY25.

In addition to funding already provided through the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), the bill allocates discretionary funding for several freight-eligible grant programs. The table below outlines funding levels for these programs and compares them to the President’s budget request, funding enacted under the IIJA, and the House and Senate proposals.

The FY26 THUD bill provides the Office of Multimodal Freight Infrastructure & Policy with $5 million for salaries and expenses, an increase of $3 million. Of this amount, $3 million is reserved for the Freight Logistics Optimization Works (FLOW) program – a public-private partnership between industry stakeholders and the government to support and enhance supply chain data coordination.

The Committee’s conferenced annual report, released alongside the legislation, directs USDOT to brief Congress within 120 days on the department's grant review backlog. In particular, lawmakers requested details on how staffing shortages contribute to the backlog and USDOT’s plan to improve grant processing timelines. The language also requested that USDOT provide a status update on all awarded but unobligated competitive grants.

Next Steps

The path forward in the upper chamber for the full funding package is unclear due to Senate Democrat concerns about funding for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). Senate Democrats are pushing to remove the DHS funding bill from the larger package to allow for renegotiation.

The Senate is expected to vote to advance the funding package on Thursday, January 29, but negotiations over passage of the consolidated bill remain unresolved

Registration for the February 11 webinar is open and may be completed here.