MAC Urges Congress to Reauthorize Federal Transportation Funding

ATLANTA (Jan. 22, 2026) – The Metro Atlanta Chamber (MAC) joins the Metropolitan Civic Leadership Alliance (MCLA) in encourages the U.S. Congress to reauthorize the federal transportation funding bill before it expires in September 2026. As a member of this coalition of nine leading metro business organizations, MAC is advocating for sustained, predictable investment in multimodal transportation systems that drive economic growth in metro regions like Atlanta and across the nation.

The state of Georgia is a global leader in moving people, products, and data. It is home to the world’s busiest and most efficient passenger airport, one of the fastest-growing port gateways in the country, a growing network of inland ports, and a nationally recognized logistics and freight ecosystem. Metro Atlanta is a powerful demonstration of how strategic transportation investment fuels competitiveness, supply chain reliability and access to opportunity.

“Atlanta’s role as an economic engine for the country depends on strong transportation infrastructure – from major highways and freight corridors to transit systems that connect workers to jobs,” said Dave Williams, Chief Policy Officer at the Metro Atlanta Chamber. “Long-term federal funding certainty will allow metro Atlanta to plan and deliver the projects that keep our region competitive, create jobs and expand opportunity for businesses and families.”

The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act is set to expire on September 30, 2026.

MAC and its MCLA partners are urging Congress to include the following priorities in the next surface transportation authorization package:

• Investing in multimodal infrastructure, ensuring federal funding supports roads, transit, rail, freight and aviation
• Modernizing regulatory and project delivery processes by streamlining permitting, approvals and grant programs while preserving environmental safeguards
• Strengthening public transit and rail systems to maintain safe, high-performing networks that efficiently connect people and support regional economies
• Leveraging innovation to address congestion and mobility challenges, including scalable, local solutions like modern tolling, HOV lanes, transit priority and multimodal alternatives 
• Investing in multimodal freight and trade infrastructure critical to domestic and global commerce, such as urban rail, port, road, bridge and aviation projects
• Promoting transit-oriented development, maximizing existing infrastructure and encouraging housing and commercial development near high-quality transit, supported by public-private partnerships 

The coalition is comprised of nine business organizations led by CEOs and senior executives of major regional employers, united by a mission to make their regions great places to live and work. Member organizations include the Bay Area Council; Civic Committee of the Commercial Club of Chicago; Dallas Regional Chamber; Greater Houston Partnership; Greater Washington Partnership; Massachusetts Competitive Partnership; Metro Atlanta Chamber; Partnership for New York City; and Partnership for Rhode Island.

Together, the nine regions of the MCLA represent nearly 28% of the U.S. population and roughly 30% of the nation’s gross domestic product.

“Federal investment in transportation is vital to continued economic opportunity,” Williams added. “And these federal dollars don’t replace state and local investment – they are needed to enhance it. For metro Atlanta, that means expanding access to jobs, improving quality of life, and ensuring our region remains an attractive place to live, work and grow.”

MAC will continue partnering with MCLA regions and federal leaders to support a reauthorization bill that delivers long-term certainty and resources for metropolitan transportation systems that underpin prosperity nationwide.

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About the Metro Atlanta Chamber

The Metro Atlanta Chamber (MAC) serves as a catalyst for a more prosperous and vibrant region. We work to advance economic growth and improve metro Atlanta’s quality of life across the 29-county metro Atlanta region. Our charge is to unleash Atlanta’s ambition, and we do this by growing, advocating, and promoting the region’s economy, talent and community. MAC expands the region’s thriving economy, advocates for a competitive business climate, and elevates metro Atlanta’s story on a global scale to ensure that this continues to be a region that rises as one. For more information, visit www.MetroAtlantaChamber.com.