Feds cut funding to Rail Trail

The U.S. Department of Transportation withdrew an $11.5 million grant from the city of Albuquerque for the planned construction of the Rail Trail, a 7-mile loop for pedestrians and cyclists around Downtown and Barelas.

“We are going to stand up for Albuquerque and prevent the Trump Administration from pulling money from a project the people of Albuquerque want,” Mayor Tim Keller said in a statement Thursday. “We will see you in court.”

This funding cut comes after the Department of Justice put Albuquerque on a list of sanctuary cities it claims don’t comply with federal immigration laws. In a news release, the Justice Department said sanctuary cities would be at risk of losing federal funding, amid other unnamed consequences.

“Sanctuary policies impede law enforcement and put American citizens at risk by design,” U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi said in a statement in August when the list was released.

The Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity (RAISE) grant is $11.5 million and amounts to nearly 30% of the Rail Trail’s total funding. The rest of the $39.5 million budget is from city or state funds. An additional $3 million in federal funding was earmarked by the U.S. Senate.

In a letter the city received Tuesday, the U.S. DOT said that the project “no longer aligns” with the department’s new priorities under the Trump administration, namely in promoting car-centric projects. It also lists that funding was revoked to ensure “taxpayer dollars are used efficiently in ways that maximally benefit the American people and improve their quality of life.”

The U.S. DOT did not respond to a request for comment about whether this funding cut was connected to the DOJ’s threat to cut funding.

The mayor’s office declined to comment on a possible connection between the city’s immigrant-friendly policies and federal funding cuts.

One local politician said an executive order Keller issued in July was to blame for the funding cuts.

“The mayor’s reckless sanctuary executive orders and his decision to kick federal law enforcement out of our transfer center make it clear he has no concern for the safety of Albuquerque, let alone the Rail Trail,” said City Councilor Dan Lewis.

The July executive order reinforced Albuquerque’s status as an “immigrant-friendly city,” a directive that was first established in 2018. That order forbade city employees from assisting Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

Under former President Joe Biden, the city received an additional $25 million RAISE grant for the Uptown Connect project. There have been no cuts to the Uptown Connect project, said city spokesperson Madeline Skrak on Thursday.

The city Transit Department was not aware of any cuts to other federally funded projects, Skrak said.

Despite cuts, the city is forging ahead with construction on the Sawmill and Central crossing portions of the Rail Trail project, which is already underway, according to a news release. The Sawmill section is set to open in late fall, while the Central crossing will open sometime in 2026, the release details.