Why It Matters
The Association for Metropolitan Planning Organizations is entering federal lobbying for the first time, marking a strategic shift as regional transportation planning bodies prepare for the 2026 Surface Transportation Reauthorization.
The timing is crucial as Congress confronts a Highway Trust Fund insolvency crisis, transit funding shortfalls, and competing priorities around climate and equity. AMPO’s lobbying will likely focus on preserving predictable formula-based federal funding for MPOs and defending regional planning roles against efforts to establish direct city-to-federal funding relationships.
By the Numbers
AMPO’s engagement with Pavluchuk and Associates marks their first formal lobbying registration. The firm has managed 22 clients since 2015, filing 281 disclosures representing $2.46 million in total expenditures.
AMPO’s sole registered lobbyist is Jason Pavluchuk, a veteran with over two decades specializing in transportation policy. Pavluchuk brings direct experience representing regional bodies like the Metropolitan Transportation Commission (California) and the Sacramento Area Council of Governments.
The Agenda
The Association for Metropolitan Planning Organizations (AMPO) is lobbying specifically on reauthorization of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), which expires September 30, 2026. AMPO represents metropolitan planning organizations nationwide that coordinate regional transportation planning and project selection.
The reauthorization will determine federal funding levels, the balance between formula and discretionary grants, and how priorities like climate and equity integrate into transportation planning. Congressional committees are currently holding hearings on IIJA implementation, examining funding delays and Highway Trust Fund solvency.
Broader Context
The Highway Trust Fund faces structural insolvency—requiring $275 billion in General Fund transfers since 2008 and facing exhaustion by 2028 without revenue reforms. Transit systems nationwide face acute funding crises as pandemic-era federal support expires, forcing major service cuts in Chicago, Philadelphia, and Portland.
The Trump administration is withholding nearly $28 billion in federal transportation funding, often from Democratic-led districts, undermining planning stability. Congressional leadership has signaled a return to "traditional infrastructure" focused on roads and bridges, potentially de-emphasizing climate and equity priorities that shaped the IIJA.
Between The Lines
Congress is laying groundwork for 2026 reauthorization as multiple bills indicate policy directions. The Senate Environment and Public Works Committee held hearings revealing concerns about an $8.7 billion backlog in unused obligation authority. A Highways and Transit Subcommittee hearing addressed the Trust Fund’s insolvency: it spent $70.6 billion last fiscal year while collecting only $50 billion.
Key pending legislation includes the Stronger Communities through Better Transit Act (H.R.3449) creating transit operating cost grants and the GREEN Streets Act (H.R.5465) making climate mitigation a core transportation planning measure.
Competitive Landscape
Multiple regional transportation organizations are actively lobbying on reauthorization, creating competitive advocacy. Placer County Transportation Planning Agency engages on MPO structure and federal grant programs. Metro Transit St. Louis advocates on MPO rules and IIJA implementation. The National Association of Development Organizations focuses on surface transportation reauthorization alongside economic development grants.
This broad regional body engagement demonstrates consensus that 2026 reauthorization represents a critical moment for federal transportation policy.
The Bottom Line
Congress actively prepares for reauthorization amid Highway Trust Fund solvency crisis, IIJA implementation challenges, and competing priorities over transit funding, climate integration, and equity in transportation planning.
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